Predicted India XI for T20I series against Australia

The Indian side will be looking to set aside the disappointment of the ODI series lossAfter losing the ODI series 4-1, India will be looking to even matters in the upcoming T20I series starting on January 26. India last played a T20I series against South Africa at home and lost 2-0 against the visitors.India is languishing at 8th place in the ICC T20I Team Rankings and will be looking to move up the table as well as wipe off the 4-1 loss to Australia. Australia are second in the table, very close behind West Indies, and will be looking to seal the top spot by the end of the series.The Indian bowling was disappointing, to say the least, during the ODI series. However, there were a few positives from the bowling department, with some of the newcomers impressing.In the T20I squad announced for the three-match series starting on Tuesday, some old warhorses have been recalled and it will be interesting to see how they make use of the opportunity, if they make the final cut.Three of the players who were initially announced in the T20I squad will miss out due to injury. While Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are slightly long-term, Ajinkya Rahane's injury might rule him out of the T20I series or, at least, the first match in Adelaide.Here is the predicted XI for the upcoming T20I series against Australia:

#1 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma will be hoping to carry forward his ODI form to the shortest format

Following an impressive showing in the ODI series, Rohit Sharma will easily be the first name on the teamsheet. Rohit scored 441 runs in just five games, consistently performing at the top of the order, and giving India a positive start.

Seeing that Rohit is enjoying playing Down Under, it can be concluded that he will take on the Australian bowling attack with no fear. India will need the 28-year-old to fire at the start of the innings.

Since the start of 2014, Rohit has played 8 T20I matches and scored 328 runs at an average of just under 47 and at a strike rate of 130.15, which are very good in the shortest format of the game. With a lot of experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL) too, Rohit will be one of the major threats for Australia in the three-match series.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan

The southpaw will hope to continue the form he found in the last three ODIs

Just when most cricket fans thought they had seen the last of Shikhar Dhawan after the first two ODIs against Australia, the southpaw fought back to find form and scored two fifties and a hundred in the last three ODIs.

In the T20 warm-up game before the start of the tour, Dhawan scored a brilliant 74 and that, along with his current form, will help him give the confidence to continue batting well at the top, along with Rohit Sharma.

However, it has to be noted that Dhawan's T20I record does not make for good reading as he has played only eight matches in the shortest format since making his debut in 2011. He has 115 runs to his name at an average of 14.37 and a strike rate of 103.60.

Dhawan will be looking to bring his IPL form, where he averages more than 30, to the international format and win a place in the T20I squad before the World T20.

#3 Virat Kohli

The No. 2 T20I batsman will be the dangerman for Australia

The Indian vice-captain, along with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, were India's best batsmen during the VB Series. Except for the last ODI, Kohli scored either a fifty or a hundred in the series as he dominated the Australian bowling attack.

In the T20 format, Kohli is one of the best in the business, and he is only behind Australian T20I captain, Aaron Finch in the rankings. In 30 T20I matches, Kohli has made 1016 runs at an impressive average of 44.17 and a strike rate of 132.63.

Since the start of 2014, Kohli has played nine matches and scored 429 runs at a phenomenal average of 71.50. In only two of those matches has he scored below 30. With such numbers, along with Kohli's aggressive and passionate presence in the squad will give the Indian side a definite boost.

#4 MS Dhoni (C & Wk)

The Indian captain needs to step up in the T20I format

MS Dhoni might have played his last ODI, but it can be said with certainty that he will not say goodbye to cricket without giving his best in the shortest format of the game. The 2007 World T20 was the first major trophy Dhoni won for India and as his career reaches its twilight, he will want to prove his critics wrong for one last time.

With Ajinkya Rahane being ruled out of the first T20I, as per Ravi Shastri's statements in the press conference, it is highly likely that captain, MS Dhoni will promote himself to the No. 4 slot.

Every fan who follows the IPL knows the difference that Dhoni can make once he is at the crease. However, he has not been able to transfer that power hitting onto the international circuit. In 52 T20I matches, Dhoni has 874 runs to his name at an average of 33.61 and a mediocre strike rate of 116.53. The average remains above 30 mainly because of the 21 times he remained not-out in 47 innings.

The 34-year-old, on the other hand, averages just under 40 in the IPL and an impressive strike rate of 139.27. If the captain can find that form before the World T20 it would help India's chances of winning their second title.

#5 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj last played in the national colours in the 2014 World T20 final against Sri Lanka

The veteran Indian all-rounder last played for the national side in the 2014 World T20. Many critics blamed Yuvraj for the debacle in the final against Sri Lanka. Yuvraj will be looking to prove all his critics wrong and come back strongly into the Indian squad before hanging up his boots.

Yuvraj has a phenomenal T20I record, with 968 runs in 40 matches at an average of 31.22 and an impressive strike rate of 144.69. Coming in at No. 5, Yuvraj will mostly have to play his shots from the word go and having such a high strike rate proves how effective he can be in helping India's cause if he gets going.

His slow left-arm orthodox bowling also gives Dhoni another option in case his frontline bowlers are not able to contain the opposition batsmen. He has picked up 23 wickets in T20Is having a very impressive average of 16.78.

Although Yuvraj did not have a great Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, he was one of the main reasons Punjab made the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 346 runs in six games with a strike rate of over 100 and an average of 69.20.

With a point to prove, Yuvraj's determination to perform well and his experience will be beneficial to the Indian side.

#6 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina will most likely take the role of the finisher in the Indian side

After having been dropped for the ODI side for the tour of Australia, Suresh Raina will be another player who will be looking to impress the selectors and earn back a fixed place in the squad.

The left-handed batsman is one who can change the game once he gets going. But, Raina has not been able to show the consistency which led to him being dropped. Since 2011, Raina's highest score in T20I is 45, showing that the 29-year-old has not been able to convert his starts.

However, his recent form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament should give him the confidence to play the way he is renowned for. He led Uttar Pradesh to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali title after playing a captain's knock in the final against Baroda. He scored 158 runs in six games at an average of 39.20 and a strike rate of 146.29.

India will be hoping that Raina can carry on that form to the international circuit and play the role of a finisher with the imminent departure of the Indian captain round the corner.

#7 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya's abilities with bat and ball is something that will greatly boost India's chances

As India's search for a seaming all-rounder has been ongoing, a 22-year-old from Baroda has been slowly making his name with both bat and ball. After showing glimpses of his talent in the 2015 edition of the IPL, Hardik Pandya seems to have found himself during the domestic season.

After a decent performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Pandya grabbed the attention of the Indian selectors and earned a call to the Indian national team for the T20I series against Australia.

This seems to have inspired the youngster more as he put in a brilliant performance in the domestic T20 tournament, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Pandya was one of the best performers in the tournament as he put in an all-round show throughout the tournament and helped his side to reach the final.

Pandya scored 377 runs in 10 matches at an average of 53.85 and a strike rate of 130.90. Although he batted at No. 3 for Baroda in the T20 tournament, having a batsman of Pandya's quality at No. 7 will only help India in case of a batting collapse. Pandya could also be promoted up the order in case India needs someone to go out there and take risks to chase down a huge total.

Along with the bat, Pandya was quite effective with the ball too as he picked up 10 wickets in the T20 tournament at an average of 20.40 and a healthy economy rate of 6.58.

If Pandya can impress in the three-match series, India's search for that seaming all-rounder could finally come to an end.

#8 Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja was India's most consistent bowler in the ODI series Down Under

Hardik Pandya's inclusion means that Ravindra Jadeja will go down the batting order by one spot to No. 8. However, this ensures that the depth of India's batting lineup is more. Having Jadeja at No. 8 will only help India's cause as Jadeja can contribute at the lower-order.

Although his overall T20I record is not very impressive, going by current form, Jadeja has been India's best bowler in Australia. Even though he picked up only three wickets in five matches, his consistent line and length did not allow the Australians easy runs.

Dhoni will be looking for the same from the left-arm spinner, to bowl four tight overs to restrict the Australians from scoring freely. Jadeja will be playing his first T20I match since September 2014.

#9 Harbhajan Singh

The Punjab captain's disciplined bowling that might give him an edge over R Ashwin

India's best spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, currently has not been very good with the ball. Although Ashwin is the second-ranked bowler in the ICC T20I Rankings for Bowlers, all his good performances in the shortest format have come in the subcontinent. Outside India, Ashwin has been far from impressive as only six of his 29 T20I wickets have come outside the subcontinent.

This is the reason that we are going with another veteran, Harbhajan Singh, who has been impressive outside the Indian subcontinent. Harbhajan has 24 T20I wickets to his name and 19 of those were taken outside the subcontinent. The Punjab captain also has a better economy rate and a better average than Ashwin.

The experience of the 35-year-old will be a huge boost to the Indian bowling lineup as he has the ability to starve the batsmen of runs from one end. Harbhajan's last T20I was in the second T20I against South Africa in Cuttack. He gave away only 20 runs in his four overs.

In five Syed Mushtaq Ali matches that he played, the Punjab captain picked up nine wickets with an outstanding average of 8.77 and an economy rate of just 4.38. If the off-spinner can carry on that form against Australia, he could help control the flow of runs on pitches that don't assist much turn.

#10 Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah had a memorable ODI debut at the SCG

Injuries to two of India's frontline bowlers is what allowed 22-year-old Jasprit Bumrah to make his ODI debut in the fifth ODI against Australia in Sydney. Without a doubt, Bumrah was India's best bowler in the fifth ODI and did not allow the Australian batsmen to hit him around as freely as they did to Umesh Yadav or Ishant Sharma.

Mohammad Shami's injury allowed Bumrah to be named in the T20I squad for the three-match series. After showing glimpses of his talent in the fifth ODI, Bumrah will be all set to make his T20I debut in Tuesday's match.

His domestic record has been quite impressive of late as he finished the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament with 14 wickets from nine matches, with an average of 15.42 and an economy rate of 6.23.

In the Vijay Hazare Trophy that Bumrah's side, Gujarat, won, the 22-year-old finished the tournament as the top wicket-taker. He picked up 21 wickets in nine matches.

Having troubled the Australian batsmen with his seam movement, Bumrah will look to continue posing problems.

#11 Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra will be playing for the national side after nearly five years

Umesh Yadav, who supposed to lead the Indian bowling attack, in the absence of Mohammad Shami was thoroughly disappointing as he leaked away runs aplenty. For this reason, we can expect Ashish Nehra to make a comeback into the Indian side after nearly five years and lead the bowling attack.

Nehra last played an international during the 2011 ICC World Cup. Following that, injuries kept him out of contention and eventually he lost his place in the national side. In the current domestic season, Nehra has not played much cricket, with his last match being in the Syed Mushtaq Ali against Andhra on January 3, 2016.

However, after his excellent performance in the 2015 edition of the IPL, it would be hard to ignore Nehra. The 36-year-old picked up 22 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 20.40 and an economy rate of 7.24.

Dhoni, who was Nehra's captain at Chennai Super Kings, will be hoping that his bowler can put in a similar performance in the the upcoming T20I series and help India with a series-winning performance.