India's predicted playing XI for the 1st T20I vs Australia

Only six games of T20I cricket stand between Team India and the T20 World Cup, with the first of those matches to be played against Australia in Mohali on Tuesday, September 20.

The Men in Blue have named a decent squad for the assignment. Arshdeep Singh will only play the upcoming T20Is against South Africa, but the rest of India's T20 World Cup squad is in the mix against an Australian side that will be without a few big names like David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis.

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

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Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul

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India captain Rohit Sharma, in a pre-series press conference, made it clear that he intends on opening the batting alongside KL Rahul, with Virat Kohli serving as the third opener.

Rahul, on his part, spoke about working on altering his strike rate to suit the demands of the team. A player who enjoys turning out in Mohali, the 30-year-old will be under pressure to deliver against Australia.

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Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik (wk)

With Rohit and Rahul opening, Kohli should slot in at No. 3. His game against spin in the middle overs made marked improvements in the Asia Cup, but the former skipper isn't out of the woods yet. He will need to come up with an impressive showing against Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar.

Suryakumar Yadav has quickly become one of India's most important T20I batters and will want to keep his good run going against Australia. The stylish batter's versatility and ability to get going from the outset will hold the Men in Blue in good stead.

Dinesh Karthik's ideal entry point is likely to be around the 14th or 15th over, but he is penciled in as a middle-order batter for ease of illustration. The veteran keeper faced only one ball in the Asia Cup and should get the nod over Rishabh Pant, although that would leave India without a specialist left-hander in the middle order. Karthik is bound to be given a fair chance to seal a spot in the playing XI in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.

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All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel

Rohit has talked up Axar Patel's value to the T20I side in Ravindra Jadeja's absence. Axar might be tasked with moving up the order and countering spin in the middle overs, even if that's not a role he has performed often. With the ball, he will need to be capable of bowling across phases of the innings.

Hardik Pandya, one of the first names on the teamsheet, will be the other all-rounder in India's playing XI. He's likely to bat at No. 5 and serve as the fourth pace option.

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Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

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India's bowling lineup for the Australia T20Is will see two returning names in Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel. The two fast bowlers' fitness will be keenly watched, with the management unlikely to take any risks with them in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal, who are two of India's leading bowlers in T20Is, will make up the rest of the playing XI.