In the aftermath of Australia's recent ODI World Cup victory, the focus shifted to a five-match T20I series against India. The first game witnessed significant lineup changes, with Steven Smith opening, Ishan Kishan at No. 3, and Josh Inglis smashing a rapid century. Despite Mitchell Starc and others departing, Australia nearly won a tight contest. The series now moves to Thiruvananthapuram, where overcast conditions may favour swing. Australia aims for additional contributors beyond Smith and Inglis, while India is wary of its lower-middle order fragility. Marcus Stoinis seeks a T20 resurgence after a lukewarm World Cup. Ravi Bishnoi's performance and India's potential lineup changes add intrigue. Thiruvananthapuram's pitch history suggests a preference for chasing. With rain in the forecast, both teams eye a pivotal victory in this evenly poised T20I series.
All smiles in Trivandrum _ as #TeamIndia gear up for the 2_nd T20I __#INDvAUS | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/4a7BGESsD2
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 25, 2023
Australia Squad: Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w/c), Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha, Kane Richardson, Aaron Hardie
India Squad: Ishan Kishan(w), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jitesh Sharma