Raipur, November 6 — With the five-match T20I series evenly poised at 1-1, Team India will look to seize the advantage when they face a depleted Australian side in the fourth T20 International here on Thursday. All eyes will be on vice-captain Shubman Gill, who is eager to rediscover his touch after a string of low scores during what has been an underwhelming tour so far.
Australia, missing two of their key players — Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head — appear vulnerable as they struggle to maintain momentum. Head has been released to play the Sheffield Shield as part of his preparation for the Ashes, while Hazlewood’s absence in the last game was evident in Australia’s inability to defend 186.
For India, this encounter presents a golden opportunity to go 2-1 up before the final match at the Gabba and wrap up the series. In the previous game, India’s team combination looked more balanced, with an all-rounder positioned at No. 8 providing depth both in batting and bowling.
However, Gill’s form remains a concern. The stylish right-hander has gone six innings without a half-century, with recent scores of 10, 9, 24, 37*, 5, and 15. Though he showed glimpses of rhythm at Canberra during a partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav, he has largely struggled against fuller deliveries moving away from him.
On the brighter side, opener Abhishek Sharma continues to impress, living up to his reputation as the world’s No. 1 T20 batter with a fine half-century and two quickfire starts.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav, too, has shown flashes of brilliance in the first and third games and will be looking to convert his starts into a big innings before the team heads into a month-long break ahead of the South Africa series.
Match starts at 1:45 PM IST.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (C), Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (WK), Josh Phillippe (WK), Mitchell Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Marcus Stoinis.
