IND v AUS 2020, 3rd T20I: Australia's predicted playing XI

Matthew Wade, stand-in skipper of the Australian cricket team in the 2nd T20I, reckoned during the post-match presentation that his side fell a few runs short.

When that is said about a score of 194/5, it gives you some idea of what Australia expect themselves to make on the Sydney surface against a competent Indian bowling unit.

In the 3rd and final T20I at the same venue, Wade will look to carry on from his threatening display which tormented the Indians until a comical catch-turned-runout cut his innings short. Speaking of short, the other Australian opener, D'Arcy Short, would be sweating over his place in the side after striking at less than a run-a-ball in both games so far.

A spate of injuries and personnel changes will see a relatively less experienced Australian side take to the field on Tuesday. The team will look to use this as an opportunity to decide who, apart from the first names on the sheet, will fill up the squad list for the T20 World Cup next year.

Here is Australia's predicted playing XI for the final T20I against India.

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Openers: Matthew Wade (c), Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis may occupy the opener's role for the final T20I.

Matthew Wade looked in very fine form - a stark change from the first T20I in which he fell for a colourless 7 off 9 balls. Wade is set to retain the captaincy with Finch not yet at full fitness, and the team will be hoping that leading from the top inspires him once more to strike a telling contribution.

The conundrum for Australia will be about Wade's opening partner. While Aaron Finch is likely to miss this game as well, D'Arcy Short's unimpressive displays have put his place in the team on the line. Wade's opening partner at the Hobart Hurricanes may be given another chance, but he does not seem to be in the kind of form to make best use of it.

A player who does look in form is Marcus Stoinis. The aggressive batsman got all of 7 balls to face in the previous game, but still managed 16 runs off them at the death. Australia will be keen for a frenetic start, and Stoinis' power-hitting ability can complement Wade's ability to find the gaps with his deft footwork.

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Middle order: Steve Smith, Alex Carey (wk)

Steve Smith will look to finish off the limited overs series on a high note.

Steve Smith hasn't quite repossessed the sort of avatar that allowed him to score brisk tons in the ODI series. An innings which fell just short of fifty in the previous game will have Australia harbouring hopes of a final dash in the limited-overs leg of India's tour.

With an eye on the upcoming Test series, where Smith is crucial to Australia's prospects, the former skipper will look to build momentum heading into the longest format.

The other contentious place in the line-up will be that of Alex Carey. Dropped from Australia's XI in the final T20I against England in September, Carey has had a string of unimpressive performances in both limited-overs formats.

However, given D'Arcy Short's poor performances at the top, the move to replace the southpaw with an attacking batsman makes more sense. The added benefit of including Carey would be a break for Wade behind the stumps, as the younger gloveman can shoulder duties if selected.

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All-rounders: Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams

Moises Henriques would want to hold his own and move out of Marcus Stoinis' shadow.

Moises Henriques has played mostly as a replacement for Stoinis on this tour, but the duo played together in the previous game. Surprisingly enough, the Portugal-born all-rounder's bowling has had the greater impact, with his 3-22 in the first T20I being one of the best performances of the series so far.

It is Glenn Maxwell who will have more eyeballs trained on him in the final white-ball fixture of the year between these two teams. The all-rounder followed up a cracking performance in the ODI series with a couple of early dismissals, although he looked quite dangerous in the previous game before being deceived by a knuckle-ball.

The third all-rounder is the least convincing one of the lot. Daniel Sams didn't look particularly threatening during his few games in the IPL, and in his first opportunity here, he conceded 41 runs without completing his quota of overs. Australia have been compromised without their frontline pacers in action, and Sams will have big shoes to fill.

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Bowlers: Sean Abbott, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye

Adam Zampa will once again try to exploit the current Indian team's weaknesses against leg-spin.

Sean Abbott has had a rough series against India. A poor ODI outing was followed by average displays in the next two T20Is, but the state of Australia's camp after injuries and withdrawals means more opportunities for Abbott to prove himself.

Mitchell Swepson looked a much-improved bowler in the second T20I, after the first one where he pitched the ball too short and was carted for runs by KL Rahul. A third opportunity will help the Australians identify a back-up spin option in the future, or even for the Test matches if needed.

Adam Zampa will once again shoulder the bulk of the bowling responsibility after being one of the most consistent Australian bowlers. In his final game of the year, Zampa would want to book his spot on the flight to India for next year's T20 World Cup.

The final cog in Australia's bowling line-up will be Andrew Tye. Expensive and not impactful in the previous game, the veteran quick will want to make his comeback to the national team memorable. He did account for KL Rahul, and as a noted knuckle-ball exponent, Tye will look to trouble India in the death overs.