Australia vs India, 3rd T20I: Preview and Predicted Playing XI

After the second T20 international washout, India will aim to level honours when they face Australia in the third and final T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, November 25.

Both teams have played 16 completed T20 Internationals against each other with India leading the head-to-head 10-6. In the case of the only T20I played at Sydney, the visitors emerged victorious by seven wickets.

In their previous meeting at this venue in January 2016, After electing to bat first, riding on Shane Watson 124, the hosts posted momentous 197/5 in their quota of 20 overs. But it proved insufficient, as India went past that mark on the last ball of the innings.

India

The Men in Blue went into this series on the back of 3-0 T20I series whitewash against West Indies. But things didn't favour them here, as they lost first T20I by four runs and rain washout in the second T20I added salt to those wounds. Now they will be under most pressure as they need to win this game to avoid a series defeat.

Batting

Shikhar Dhawan struck 72 runs in the opening fixture. While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both cracked half-centuries at the SCG on the previous occasion. These three forms a vital cog at the top order and they will look to deliver a similar performance here on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Dinesh Kartik's quickfire 13-ball 30 in the first T20 has certainly raised fans hopes and it'll be essential for him to put up a similar performance in case of early jolts.

Bowling

When it comes to bowling, Indians have become a force to reckon with. Though their performance against Australia in the first T20I might have raised some eyebrows, they made a significant comeback in the second T20I. Indian bowlers reduced hosts to 132/7 before the rail played spoilsport.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the lot with economical figures of 2/20, and he along with Kuldeep Yadav will be their go-to bowlers against the opponents. While Khaleel Ahmed too picked up two wickets and came back with a much better performance in the previous fixture and he will be expected to replicate it in final T20I.

Expected Playing XI

Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed .

Australia

Australia aim to avoid hiccups in the batting department

Batting

Glenn Maxwell was the pick of the lot with his quickfire 46 in just 24 balls against India. While Ben McDermott proved His worth in second T20I with a steady knock of unbeaten 32 runs. These two along with Chris Lynn will have to bear responsibility in final T20I to get team towards a decent total. His middle-order partner Chris Lynn hit 37 runs from 20 runs.

The top order failure has been a major concern for the team, D'Arcy Short and skipper Aaron Finch, who has not been among runs in recent times. Finch was out for a duck, his third duck in six innings and they will be expected to come out thrashing and score some runs at the top.

Bowling

Australian bowlers didn't get a chance to showcase their skills in the second T20I. Though Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa were the pick of the bowlers in the first game at Gabba with figures of 2/27 and 2/22 and with these two are expected to play a major role in final T20I. While they will also bank on Andrew Tye, who has been their key wicket taker at this ground and he will be backed by skipper to provide early breakthroughs.

Expected Playing XI

D'Arcy Short, Aaron Finch (C), Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ben McDermott, Alex Carey, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Jason Behrendorff, Billy Stanlake.