India is gearing up to face Australia in the exciting opener of the five-match T20I series, as part of Australia’s tour of India in 2023. The first match is all set to light up the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on November 23, with the game commencing at 7:00 PM IST. Given the relatively inexperienced Indian team when measured against the Aussies, fantasy cricket enthusiasts will find themselves at the crossroads when selecting the ideal mix of players to maximize their game-day points.
In their recent T20I outings, India has etched history by bagging their first-ever cricket gold medal at the 19th Asian Games conducted between September and October of this year. Contrastingly, Australia asserted their dominance over South Africa in a series held between August and September 2023, walking away with a 3-0 series victory. Mitchell Marsh, the Australian all-rounder, was particularly exceptional, bagging the Player of the Series title with a total of 186 runs, including two fifties.
The India-Australia T20I rivalry has seen the teams face each other 26 times. India has successfully sealed victory on 15 occasions whereas Australia has clinched wins 10 times, with one match remaining without a result.
For the highly anticipated first T20I of the series, the suggested fantasy XI is as follows:
Wicket-keeper: Ishan Kishan
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav, Travis Head, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma
All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Shivam Dube
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Nathan Ellis, Ravi Bishnoi
The team composition leans towards an 8:3 ratio, favoring the Indian hosts. Ishan Kishan takes the wicket-keeper spot, outpacing Matthew Wade, with a substantial 686 runs from 29 T20Is and four half-centuries to his name.
Batters Suryakumar Yadav, Travis Head, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Tilak Varma are expected to bring their A-game. Head, fresh from a successful ODI World Cup campaign, showcases tremendous form amassing 329 runs, which included two centuries and a half-century. Jaiswal and Varma are both off to a remarkable start in their T20I careers, with Jaiswal’s scorecard reflecting a century and a fifty in seven innings and Varma nailing two 50+ scores in 10 matches. This dynamic form continued into the Syed Mushtaq Ali 2023 tournament, solidifying their spots in the lineup.
Suryakumar Yadav stands as an unparalleled selection due to his impressive T20I track record of pummeling bowlers, while the all-rounder duo, Glenn Maxwell and Shivam Dube, bring explosive hard-hitting skills along with handy breakthrough abilities with the ball.
The bowling attack features Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna leading India’s pace attack, complemented by Nathan Ellis, who takes the mantle of Australia’s frontline seamer with 18 dismissals in eight T20Is. Leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi aims to transfer his dominant Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament performance, which saw him pick 13 wickets, onto the international stage.
For the captaincy, Suryakumar Yadav is a natural choice given his exhilarating stroke play and remarkable scoring rate, boasting 1,841 runs at an average of 46.02 with three centuries and 15 fifties across 53 T20Is. As vice-captain, Glenn Maxwell brings versatility and experience to the fore with an impressive tally of 2,159 runs and 39 wickets in his T20I career.
As spectators and fans worldwide eagerly await the beginning of the first T20I, the stage is set for a colossal confrontation between two cricketing powerhouses. Stay updated with the World Cup 2023 with schedules, scores, and updates available on social media and the NDTV Cricket app.