India vs Australia 2020 Highlights, 1st T20I Match at Canberra, Full Cricket Score: Natarajan, Chahal guide visitors to 11-run win

Virat Kohli: “Concussion replacements are a strange thing. Today, it worked for us. Yuzi showed character to squeeze the opponents. In Australia, you need to play hard and show intensity till the end. Chahal got us back in the game. Hardik’s catch was a game changer as well.”

Aaron Finch, Australia captain: Their doctor had ruled Jadeja out due to concussion. We probably leaked too may runs at the death. Then while chasing, we didn’t hit too many boundaries in the 6-over period.

Yuzvendra Chahal is the Man of the Match

“It’s a great feeling. I have learnt from my ODI mistakes. The way Zampa bowled, I tried to do the same as well. It was a little harder to score in the first innings. 150-160 is a good score on this wicket. I bowled according to my plans.”

After 20 overs,Australia 150/7 ( Sean Abbott 12 , Mitchell Swepson 12)

India take 1-0 lead in the T20I series. Indian bowlers and Ravindra Jadeja deserves all the credit for their fantastic performance. Australia got off to a great start in the chase but wickets kept tumbling once Finch got out. It will be interesting to listen to what the Aussie skipper says about India’s concussion substitution, Chahal certainly turned it around for his team with his spell.

Four off the final ball but the game is done. India win the match 11 runs.

Swepson clears the long-off boundary but it’s too late.

Abbott targets the mid-wicket boundary and he clears it. Much-needed one for the Aussies.

Starc is yorked! Natarajan with a perfect delivery to shatter the stumps. Starc b T Natarajan 1(2)

After 18 overs,Australia 127/6 ( Sean Abbott 1 , Mitchell Starc 1)

Another successful over for India. Moises Henriques could’ve turned the game around but Deepak Chahar ensures the Aussie is back into the pavilion. Just five runs from this over. Australia need 35 in 12 balls. Starc and Sean Abbott need to pull off something special here.

LBW!

Deepak Chahar removes Henriques. The batsman quickly takes the review but DRS shows the on-field umpire is right. Henriques lbw b Chahar 30(20)

After 17 overs,Australia 122/5 ( Moises Henriques 27 , Sean Abbott 0)

Yuzvendra Chahal’s final over. Wade flicks the first ball to deep square-leg and collects two runs. Henriques comes down the track in the third ball but Chahal bowls it wide, just one run to the batsman. Wade then goes for the slog sweep, no timing on the shot and the ball bounces before the fielder at deep mid-wicket. Wade tries his luck again with another slog sweep but this time he hands a simple catch to Kohli. Wonderful spell by the leggie. He proved to Virat Kohli that the captain got it completely wrong to drop him today.

Slog sweep from Wade and he finds the fielder at deep mid-wicket. Chahal’s third wicket.  Wade c Kohli b Chahal 7(9)

After 16 overs,Australia 116/4 ( Moises Henriques 25 , Matthew Wade (W) 3)

Sundar bowls his final over. Matthew Wade is the new batsman in the middle. Wade goes for the slog in the fourth ball but misses his hit. Just three from this one and Sundar’s brilliant spell comes to an end. No wickets but 16 runs in four overs when the target is 162. Australia need 46 more runs in 24 balls.

After 15 overs,Australia 113/4 ( Moises Henriques 25 , )

T Natarajan starts off with a slower ball, Henriques hits it over bowler’s head to long-on for one run. The next one a yorker length delivery, Short drags the ball straight down the wicket for one more run. There’s a run out chance in the next ball, Manish Pandey throws from point, ball misses the target and Sanju Samson lets the ball go so 5 overthrow runs. Short tries the big shot in the final ball but finds the fielder and walks back to the pavilion. Nine off the over and a wicket.

Short’s misery ends. Tries to beat the long-on fielder but fails. Natarajan strikes again! D Arcy Short c Hardik Pandya b T Natarajan 34(38)

After 14 overs,Australia 104/3 ( D’Arcy Short 32 , Moises Henriques 18)

Chahal’s third over. Henriques is looking to score boundaries but he’s not getting much help from his partner D’Arcy Short. The southpaw tries a reverse hit in the final but fails to make connection. Nine off the over. Australia need 58 in 36 balls.

Quicker one from Chahal, Henriques finds the gap in the point region.

After 13 overs,Australia 95/3 ( D’Arcy Short 31 , Moises Henriques 11)

The six off the first ball relives the pressure on batsmen. Kohli hoped Shami coming back into the attack will fetch him a wicket but it doesn’t work out. The match is nicely poised, hosts need 67 in 42 balls. 10 from this over.

SHOT! 

Henriques picks the short of length delivery from Shami and sends it over fence at square-leg.

After 12 overs,Australia 84/3 ( D’Arcy Short 29 , Moises Henriques 3)

Sundar bowls his third over of the night. Good stuff from the spinner, not offering room or time to play the big shots. Just six singles from the over. D’Arcy Short is batting on 29 off 30 balls. Time for him to tee off else Australia will succumb to pressure.

After 11 overs,Australia 79/3 ( D’Arcy Short 27 , Moises Henriques 1)

Three wickets in a span of four overs and the momentum has shifted to India’s favour. Natarajan bowls an absolute ripper to trap Maxwell in front of the wickets. D’Arcy Short is still in the middle along with new batsman Moises Henriques. Just five from this over, Australia 83 in 54 balls.

T Natarajan strikes! 

Maxwell becomes a victim of LBW. The on-field umpire’s original decision is not out but Kohli takes the review. Top decision as DRS shows three reds. Maxwell lbw b T Natarajan 2(3)

After 10 overs,Australia 74/2 ( D’Arcy Short 23 , Glenn Maxwell 2)

Steve Smith might have had a great ODI series but he fails to make an impact in this first T20I. Targets the bigger mid-wicket boundary and fails to clear the fielder. Glenn Maxwell is the new batsman and in his first delivery, he holes out straight down the ground. Hardik runs but the ball falls just short of him. Six off the over.

Oh big, big wicket! 

Smith takes the attack to Chahal and goes for the slog but Samson takes a blinder to deep mid-wicket.  Smith c Samson b Chahal 12(9)

After 9 overs,Australia 68/1 ( D’Arcy Short 22 , Steven Smith 9)

Chahar continues. Steve Smith is the new man in after Finch’s dismissal and he plays a wonderful short through square of the wicket for a maximum. Too short and not enough pace as Smith takes the advantage. Another similar shot in the final ball, this time it is straight to the fielder for one run. 10 off the over.

Short from Chahar. Easy pickings for Steve Smith. Dispatched that over square-leg.

After 8 overs,Australia 58/1 ( D’Arcy Short 20 , Steven Smith 1)

Ok, so time for Yuzvender Chahal. Finch hits the first ball to deep extra cover and collects one run. D’Arcy Short then mistimes his shot, the ball is in the air but falls in no man’s land. Chahal then tempts Finch with a loopy leg-break, the Aussie captain takes the bait and pays the price. Imagine Justin Langer’s reaction to that wicket. Good over for India, just four runs plus a wicket.

Chahal, the concussion substitute, does the trick! Finch goes hard, doesn’t time the shot, Hardik Pandya takes a brilliant diving catch at long-off. Finch c Hardik Pandya b Chahal 35(26)

After 7 overs,Australia 54/0 ( D’Arcy Short 18 , Aaron Finch (C) 34)

Deepak Chahar to Finch, the Aussie captain drives hard and it’s a catching chance for Manish Pandey at point but he drops it. Manish is a very good fielder and should’ve taken the catch. Wait, there’s another catching opportunity, D’Arcy Short gets a top edge, the ball goes high in the air and guess what? Kohli also spills the chance. You know the saying right? Catches win matches and all that jazz. Poor from Team India. Only run from this over.

After 6 overs,Australia 53/0 ( D’Arcy Short 18 , Aaron Finch (C) 33)

T Natarajan bowls the final over of the powerplay. It’s a good over despite a boundary, which came off an inside edge. Australia go past the 50-run mark inside six overs. The required run-rate is 7.8 so the hosts are very much in control of this chase.

Finch gets an edge and the ball runs away to the fence. Unlucky Natarajan.

After 5 overs,Australia 45/0 ( D’Arcy Short 16 , Aaron Finch (C) 27)

Another good over for Australia. Shami’s two overs go for 21 runs. The batting from the openers has been flawless so far. India need to break this partnership as soon as possible. Just a reminder that Yuzvendra Chahal, the concussion substitute can bowl for India in this innings. We will see how Kohli uses the leg-spinner.

WOW! Finch flicks this ball over deep square. Sensational timing.

Finch backs away early against Shami and plays the cut really good.

BCCI’s communication on Ravindra Jadeja.

UPDATE: Ravindra Jadeja was hit on the helmet in the final over of the first innings of the first T20I.

Yuzvendra Chahal will take the field in the 2nd innings as a concussion substitute. Jadeja is currently being assessed by the BCCI Medical Team. #TeamIndia #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/tdzZrHpA1H

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 4, 2020

After 4 overs,Australia 33/0 ( D’Arcy Short 15 , Aaron Finch (C) 16)

Sundar comes back after conceding a boundary in the first ball of the over. Replays during the over show Australia head coach Justin Langer having a conversation with match referee David Boon regarding the concussion substitution for India as Jadeja was hit on the head during his batting. Clearly the Aussie coach is not happy. Seven off this over.

Short from Sundar, Finch finds the gap in the deep mid-wicket region

After 3 overs,Australia 26/0 ( D’Arcy Short 14 , Aaron Finch (C) 10)

Shami with the ball and he starts off around the stumps. D’Arcy Short uses the pace of the ball to score two boundaries. There’s a LBW appeal against Finch but it’s a faint one and umpire is also not interested. 10 off the over, just the start Australia needed.

This time Shami bowls full, D’Arcy drives through covers for another boundary.

A bit short from Shami, D’Arcy cuts it nicely for a boundary

After 2 overs,Australia 16/0 ( D’Arcy Short 5 , Aaron Finch (C) 10)

Washington Sundar introduced in the second over. Finch tries to beat the off-side field in the first two balls but finds the fielders. Misfield from Dhawan at mid-off in the fourth ball which allows Finch to run two. Sundar is bowling with good pace and there’s bounce for the spinner. Just two from this one.

After 1 overs,Australia 14/0 ( D’Arcy Short 5 , Aaron Finch (C) 8)

Swing for Chahar in the first ball, it is short of length, the delivery comes back inside and Short pushes it to the square of the wicket for a single. Finch then shows his fine form with two solid boundaries followed by Short hitting Chahar straight down the ground for four more. Ordinary start from Chahar, 14 runs from the over.

This time, it is Short who scores the boundary. Straight down the wicket!

Another one. Finch hits it to the left of mid-off fielder and collects four runs.

Short of length, Finch walks down and finds the gap in the square of the wicket.

Right then, time for the chase. Aaron Finch and D’Arcy Short make their way into the middle. Short is on strike, Deepak Chahar has the new ball.

Australia need 162 to win! 

An amazing impact innings from Jajdea, who slammed 44 off 23, has given India a defendable score at the Maneka Oval. 11 came from the final over. 34 came from the last two.

SIX! Starc goes short and it is pulled with disdain by Jaddu over the deep mid-wicket area for a massive maximum

FOUR! Starc was guilty of bowling in the slot and Jaddu slams it down the ground to add another crucial four runs

OUT! Washington Sundar c Abbott b Starc 7(5)

Washington failed to get the distance on his shot and got caught at the long on. Second wicket for Starc.

After 19 overs,India 150/6 ( Ravindra Jadeja 34 , Washington Sundar 6)

Hazlewood continues. A massive over for India as Jaddu cuts free. 23 added in the over. 150 up for India. Jaddu crashes the full, outside delivery for a boundary through the covers area. Played a lofted swipe after that but failed to nail it as Smith cut it off at long-off. It was a no ball but only two came from the free-hit. Jadeja then took a small break with some hamstring issues and the resumption brought more bad news for Australia as Jaddu added 14 from the last three deliveries. First a six over cow corner, then a boundary through the deep square leg before another four through the covers area. Lovely batting.

FOUR! A fuller delivery from Hazlewood and Jaddu clears the front leg to drill it through the covers region

FOUR! Jaddu gets enough on his pull shot to clear the square leg fielder as he adds another boundary off Hazlewood

SIX! In the slot from Hazlewood. Fuller delivery and Jaddu slams it over the deep mid-wicket for a massive six

It seems like Jadeja has done something to his hamstring. He is grabbing it and the physio has come out. We will have a small break.

FOUR! Good shot. Full, outside off delivery from Hazlewood and Jaddu gets room to free his hand and drills it through covers region

After 18 overs,India 127/6 ( Ravindra Jadeja 12 , Washington Sundar 6)

Starc comes into the attack. 12 from the over. We know Washington can hit. We saw it in the series against West Indies and India need all the possible help here. He added a boundary in the over as Starc missed his mark and ended up bowling a full toss, and the inside-edge ran down to fine leg fence. A lot of doubles also in the over.

FOUR! Inside-edge and a four. Starc bowled that one a bit too full and all Washington needed to do was to flick it down to the fence

After 17 overs,India 115/6 ( Ravindra Jadeja 8 , Washington Sundar 0)

Henriques bowls his last over. Hardik has been in great form and as he sees a fuller delivery, his eyes light up. The result is a massive six over long-on. There’s another such opportunity but Abbott has done very well at long-on, as he cuts off the six with a brilliant leap at the fence. Hardik tries again, but this time loses his wicket. The connection was poor, from the bottom of the bat as the catch was taken at long-off. 11 from the over. Henriques finishes with figures of 4-0-22-3.

WICKET! Hardik Pandya c Smith b Henriques 16 (15)

The Hardik show is over before taking off. Hardik was aiming for another shot down the ground but didn’t get the desired connection. The shot came from the bottom of the bat and there was just too much height as Smith took the catch at long-off.

SIX! Henriques made the mistake of bowling full to Hardik and has been punished with a shot down the ground for a maximum

After 16 overs,India 104/5 ( Hardik Pandya 7 , Ravindra Jadeja 6)

Hazlewood continues. Good over from the pacer, the line is tight and the pitch seems to have enough for the bowlers. There was a run-out opportunity after Jaddu opted for a tight single but Abbott didn’t manage to affect a direct-hit from long-on. 100 up for India. Seven from the over.

After 15 overs,India 97/5 ( Hardik Pandya 3 , Ravindra Jadeja 3)

Zampa continues. Hardik and Jaddu were the architects of India’s win in the third ODI here at the Maneka Oval. India need another solid return from the duo. Zampa finishes his spell with figures of 4-0-20-1. Four from the over.

After 14 overs,India 93/5 ( Hardik Pandya 1 , Ravindra Jadeja 1)

Henriques continues. India are imploding here as another wicket falls. May be Rahul could have waited for a while before trying to play the big shots. He spotted a fuller delivery from Henriques, wanted to take him on, and decided to go down the track but the delivery lacked pace, and the shot lacked timing as Abbott took the catch at long-on. Ravindra Jadeja is the new man in. Just two from the over.

WICKET! KL Rahul c Abbott b Henriques 51 (40)

Rahul departs. He wanted to take on the bowler as Henriques bowled full but it was a slower delivery and Rahul failed to get the timing as Abbott took the catch at long-on.

After 13 overs,India 91/4 ( KL Rahul (W) 51 , Hardik Pandya 1)

Zampa called back into the attack. Another wicket falls for India. Manish Pandey got his first opportunity of the tour but fails to make most of it. He was trying to cut the short ball but the top-edge got him to go back to the hut. Hazlewood did very well at short third man to take the catch, diving forward. Hardik Pandya is the new man in, and gets off the mark with a push to long-on. Just two from the over.

WICKET! Manish Pandey c Hazlewood b Zampa 2 (8)

Excellent catch by Hazlewood at short third man to remove Pandey. He dived forward to get to it. Pandey was trying to play a cut shot but the top-edge proved to be his undoing.

After 12 overs,India 89/3 ( KL Rahul (W) 50 , Manish Pandey 2)

Samson’s eye-catching cameo is over. He pays the price for playing away from the body. Henriques fired it in full and outside off, Samson wanted to crash it through covers but picked the fielder at extra cover with his drive. Manish Pandey is the new man in who plays three dot ball before getting off the mark with a drive on off for a double. Three from the over with the bowler bowling a wide.

OUT! Samson c Swepson b Henriques 23(15)

Fuller delivery, on off, and Samson was looking to power it through covers region but played his shot straight to the extra cover fielder. A promising innings comes to an end.

After 11 overs,India 86/2 ( KL Rahul (W) 50 , Sanju Samson 23)

Abbott called back into the attack. He was guilty of bowling short to Samson, who jumped to get into the perfect position for a slap through covers for a boundary. Meanwhile, Rahul has completed his fifty, it came in just 37 deliveries. Both batsmen looking good. 11 off the over.

FIFTY! Rahul gets to his half-century with a nudge on the leg side. Excellent innings so far by Rahul. He reaches to the milestone in 37 deliveries.

FOUR! Powerful shot. A short delivery, on off, from Abbott. Samson jumps, just a bit, to get on top of the delivery and slaps it through the covers region

After 10 overs,India 75/2 ( KL Rahul (W) 48 , Sanju Samson 15)

Right-arm medium pacer Mosies Henriques comes into the attack. A decent over with just seven coming of fit. We are at the halfway mark of the innings and India have made a good start to the match, the foundation is there for a late flourish.

After 9 overs,India 68/2 ( KL Rahul (W) 45 , Sanju Samson 11)

Swepson is struggling to find the correct length. He is bowling a short delivery one after another. Samson made use of one of them to slam a massive six over the cow corner while Rahul found the gap between long-on and mid-wicket for a boundary. 12 off the over.

FOUR! Wow, another half-tracker. Rahul rocks back and pierces the gap between mid-wicket and long-on with the pull shot

SIX! Massive hit. The first maximum for Saju Samson. Poor delivery from Swepson. Another half-tracker and it has been deposited into the stands.

After 8 overs,India 56/2 ( KL Rahul (W) 40 , Sanju Samson 4)

Zampa continues, and the over is done in a jiffy. Five singles off the first five deliveries with Rahul blocking the last one to cover. India need to rebuild quickly.

After 7 overs,India 51/2 ( KL Rahul (W) 38 , Sanju Samson 1)

Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson brought into the attack and the leggie gets Australia the big breakthrough. The spinner made a poor start with Rahul pulling the short delivery to cow corner fence. He bowled a short delivery again as Kohli was aiming for another pull shot but the ball skidded and got big on Kohli who ballooned it back to the bowler. Sanju Samson is the new man in. Nine off the over.

OUT! Virat Kohli c & b Swepson 9 (9)

India lose their skipper. Swepson gets the big wicket. It was a short delivery and Kohli was looking to play the pull shot but the ball gripped and turned away just a bit to balloon back to Swepson.

FOUR! Mitch Swepson also ends up giving a boundary on his first delivery. It was a back of length delivery as Rahul rocked back to play the pull shot to deep mid-wicket

After 6 overs,India 42/1 ( KL Rahul (W) 31 , Virat Kohli (C) 8)

Right-arm pacer Sean Abbott comes into the attack. 12 form the over as India finish powerplay on a good note. Rahul was lucky to get a boundary as the leading edge ballooned to the third man fence followed by a beautiful front foot six over the cow corner. Both Rahul and Kohli are looking in good touch.

SIX! The first maximum of the match also comes from Rahul’s bat. It comes as a result of a front foot six over the cow corner. Excellent shot.

FOUR! Leading-edge and a boundary. Rahul was looking to play on the leg side but the leading edge flew to the third man fence

After 5 overs,India 30/1 ( KL Rahul (W) 20 , Virat Kohli (C) 7)

Adam Zampa comes into the attack. If the idea for Austrlaia was to attack with Zampa, then the move, for now, seems to be working in India’s favour as it releases the pressure with nine runs. The first delivery was a floated half-volley that Rahul crashed to covers boundary. He then took two doubles on leg side before getting off the strike with a single.

FOUR! Zampa welcomed into the attack with a boundary. The delivery was into the slot for Rahul who beautifully drove it, on full, to cover boundary

After 4 overs,India 21/1 ( KL Rahul (W) 11 , Virat Kohli (C) 7)

Hazlewood continues. Couple of singles at the start of the over before Kohli makes room against a shorter delivery to swat it to the mid-wicket fence for a boundary. Another couple of singles added. Eight from the over. India now have runs coming in.

FOUR! Beautiful shot. Kohli backed away a little against the slightly shorter delivery from Hazlewood and slaps it to the mid-wicket fence

After 3 overs,India 13/1 ( KL Rahul (W) 9 , Virat Kohli (C) 1)

The Starc we know is back! At least that’s how it looks. India have lost their first wicket and it is Dhawan who has been sent back to the hut by a jaffa from Starc. The pacer gets the wicket with a fuller delivery which swung away from Dhawan, who was looking to drive, and uprooted the stumps. Beautiful. Kohli is the new man in and joins Rahul in the middle who also added a boundary in the over with his slice shot that ran down to the third man fence. Seven from the over.

WICKET! Shikhar Dhawan b Starc 1 (6)

That’s the Starc we all know. He may have struggled so far but got the perfect execution this time. It was full and swung from the middle to off as Dhawan lost his stumps. Brilliant bowling.

FOUR! First boundary of the match comes from Rahul’s bat. There was width on offer from Starc as Rahul threw his bat on that and the slice ran down to third man fence

After 2 overs,India 6/0 ( KL Rahul (W) 4 , Shikhar Dhawan 1)

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood comes into the attack. Just two from the over. Dhawan got off the mark on the second delivery with a thick edge to the third man as he tried to play a drive. Rahut got off the strike with a leg bye followed by three dot balls.

After 1 over, India 4/0, Shikhar Dhawan 0, KL Rahul 4

We must admit that the new specially-designed Indigenous shirt of the Aussies is looking very nice. Also, a nice start for Starc to the match. Rahul got off the mark with a double on the second delivery as he drove the fuller delivery past backward point. Three dot balls followed the double with Starc opting to bowl full. Rahul took another double on the last ball with a nudge on leg side.

Alright, time for live action! It was a bit of a struggle to determine India’s playing XI with confusion over Manish Pandey’s inclusion but it is now confirmed that he is playing in place of Shreyas Iyer. Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul are in the middle to open for India. Mitchell Starc will bowl the first over.

India XI: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul(w), Virat Kohli(c), Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, T Natarajan

Australia XI: Aaron Finch (c), D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade (wk), Steve Smith, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Mitch Starc, Mitch Swepson, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood  #AUSvIND

Virat Kohli: Great chance to have a look at a few guys. We have been playing good T20 cricket, we just have to continue that. Natarajan is making his debut today. He looked composed in the third ODI.

Aaron Finch: D’Arcy Short opens the batting, Wade will bat at three. Phenomenal design (on the indigenous kit), grateful to be able to wear it.

TOSS: Aaron Finch wins the toss, Australia opt to bowl first in the 1st T20I at Canberra.

CONFIRMED: T Natarajan will be making his T20I debut today. He has been handed his debut cap by Jasprit Bumrah.

Aussie team to don Indigenous jersey

Australians will wear a specially-designed Indigenous shirt in the T20 series, a move aimed at recognising and encouraging the Indigenous Australians’ role in the sport. The design is an ode to the ancestors and past, present and future aboriginal cricketers.

The Australian men's team will celebrate our First Nations people this summer by wearing this incredible Indigenous playing shirt for the entirety of the #AUSvIND Dettol T20 series! 🖤💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/GmD36G8XoC

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) November 11, 2020

Brett Lee questions decision to rest Pat Cummins

Sticking to the topic of Cummins’ omission, Brett Lee has questioned Australia’s decision to rest the pace spearhead after just two games against India in the recently-concluded ODI series. 

“It probably wouldn’t have been his call, he probably would have wanted to play, the players generally want to play,” Lee told Foxsports.com.au.

“I would have thought after a couple of games they shouldn’t be tired. I always found that for my rhythm personally that the more games I played the better rhythm I had,” Lee added.

Lee’s comments came a day after spin legend Shane Warne slammed the decision to rest Cummins, suggesting IPL is being prioritised over national duty.

India vs Australia T20I: Squads

There are a few changes to the squads of both sides going into the T20I series. Most notably for Australia, David Warner and Pat Cummins are not part of the T20 contingent. 

India Squad: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul(w), Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mayank Agarwal, Sanju Samson, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami

Australia Squad: Aaron Finch(c), Matthew Wade, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques, Alex Carey(w), Ashton Agar, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Andrew Tye, Marnus Labuschagne, D Arcy Short, Cameron Green, Daniel Sams, Marcus Stoinis

Meanwhile, a small detour from Australia vs India coverage

BCCI to hold AGM on 24 December; two new IPL franchises, appointment of ICC representative among key discussion points 

It is understood that the Adani Group and Sanjeev Goenka’s RPG (owners of the Rising Pune Supergiants) are interested in owning new teams with one franchise surely from Ahmedabad.

 T Natarajan describes maiden game in national colours as ‘surreal experience’

Natarajan described his India debut as a “surreal experience” and said he was looking forward to represent the country in more such matches in future.

Preview: Visitors expected to pose stiffer challenge to Aaron Finch and Co in T20 series

The presence of Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar and T Natarajan, who did well on his ODI debut on Wednesday, lends much-needed balance to the bowling department.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the 1st T20I between Australia and India which will be played at Canberra. After losing the ODI series, revenge would be on the minds of Virat Kohli and Co, however, the major focus, of both the teams, would be on getting their combinations right ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup. Australia are the No 2 side in the world T20I rankings while India are at the third spot, and a series between these two sides should make for a cracking contest. Also, similar to the ODI matches, we should expect a high-scoring series.