Key events
We’re getting closer to play resuming with the game now reduced to 18 overs each. The powerplay will be the 5.2 overs, which means India will face two more deliveries with the field up.
Great Australian Bat Off update: Steve Smith will captain Australia in the first Test against England with Pat Cummins sidelined with a back injury. The batting great is comfortable coming off limited preparation these days, suggesting he only needs two hits to fine tune. The 36-year-old isn’t leaving much room for improvement after knocking out 118 for New South Wales against Queensland today. But NSW opener Sam Konstas left a ball that took out his middle stump when on 10 and seems to be falling well down the pecking order for the Ashes.
There have been mixed results for the other contenders hoping to force their way into the Australia Test XI, with Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald dismissed for a duck yesterday while Beau Webster made 11. Cameron Green was out without scoring for Western Australia and did not bowl against South Australia. Queensland – and Marnus Labuschagne – are yet to bat against NSW as the plot thickens.
Australia have selected a strong lineup for this T20 against India, and the earlier games in the series, though do of course have one eye on the Ashes beginning on 21 November. Scott Boland is all but certain to replace captain Pat Cummins in the bowling attack but there are still huge question marks over which six batters will play in the first Test.
With Australia’s initial Ashes squad expected to be named at the end of the Sheffield Shield round currently under way, we look at the batters pushing for a spot in the XI to take on England in Perth.
Marcus Stoinis takes the ball to send down the final over of the powerplay. But the weather has other ideas as the rain begins to get heavier and the umpire’s make the call to pause play.
5th over: India 43-0 (Gill 16, Suryakumar 8) SIX! Suryakumar Yadav hammers Josh Hazlewood from outside off and over square leg and the far boundary for the first six of the innings. It is some shot to have in the bag of tricks but must be horrible to bowl to. Hazlewood had earlier greeted Suryakumar with a bouncer as the India batter held back on pulling out his trademark ramp shot and instead ended up on his back. A tidy over otherwise as Hazlewood chips away at his typical line and length no matter the format.
4th over: India 36-0 (Gill 16, Suryakumar 1) Nathan Ellis picks up a crucial wicket as Abhishek Sharma was out to live or die by the sword. The Australia quick almost had Shubman Gill out lbw earlier in the over but for the review going with umpire’s call for height over leg stump. Gill responds in the best possible way with a cracking cover drive for four.
WICKET! Abhishek c David b Ellis 19 (India 35-1)
Abhishek Sharma has lit up the T20 in Canberra but all good things must come to an end. After throwing his bat at anything and everything it is a tame dismissal as the 25-year-old chips to Tim David at mid-off. Abhishek mis-read a slower ball from Nathan Ellis but that was some clever bowling.
3rd over: India 26-0 (Abhishek 19, Gill 7) Shubman Gill is batting in his partner’s shadow but gets the runs flowing with a top edge over the keeper to the rope. Hazlewood did everything right by bowling back of a length but is unfortunate not to pick up a wicket. Abhishek ruins what was otherwise a tidy over with a glance off his hip over short fine leg for another boundary.
2nd over: India 17-0 (Abhishek 15, Gill 2) Xavier Bartlett is thrown the new ball after impressing in his only ODI against India with three wickets in Adelaide. But he’s facing a fresh challenge in Canberra with Abhishek Sharma on the attack. The 25-year-old batter punishes a short ball with a swat over point to the rope, and adds another boundary with a powerful pull shot.
1st over: India 8-0 (Abhishek 7, Gill 1) Abhishek Sharma charges down the pitch at the first ball from Josh Hazlewood but the experienced quick sees him coming. Abhishek reconsiders and nudges a cut to cover without finding a way through. After a lengthy delay to attend to a bright light in the batter’s sight, Abhishek picks up where he left off. A straight drive barely clears Mitch Marsh at mid-on for two runs, then Abhishek ends the over charging again. This time he hammers Hazlewood across the line for the first boundary.
Josh Hazlewood has the white ball in his grasp with Abhishek Sharma on strike as the game is about to begin at Manuka Oval in Canberra …
While the addition of Jasprit Bumrah would be good news for any side, India are missing Shreyas Iyer after vice-captain fell awkwardly while taking a catch against Australia in the third T20.
India XI
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Suryakumar Yadav confirms the huge news that Jasprit Bumrah returns for India after sitting out the ODI series. But the ever-impressive Nitish Kumar Reddy is out of the initial three T20s in the series due to a thigh injury.
Australia XI
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Philippe, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
Australia have named a powerful batting lineup with big-hitters across the top six and Josh Philippe a more than capable No 7 even without the keeping gloves.
Toss
Australia captain Mitch Marsh wins the toss and once again elects to field first. Suryakumar Yadav takes the reins for India in this format and says he is happy to bat first while hoping that the pitch slows down in the second innings.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first T20 international between Australia and India at a sold out Manuka Oval in Canberra. Australia were quick out of the blocks in the three-match ODI series between the same sides with a pair of comprehensive victories before Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma signed off in style in the final 50-over game.
India have a much more ominous record against Australia in T20s with seven wins in their past eight meetings in the format stretching back three years. The most recent of those losses might still sting Australia as India knocked them out of the T20 World Cup last year.
Australia and India now have an eye on the next edition of the 20-over showpiece event starting in February next year with this the first of five T20s in the series between the powerhouse sides. The tourists will be bolstered by the addition to the squad of Jasprit Bumrah, who terrorised Australia in the Test series last summer, while the hosts boast a strong batting lineup.
First ball will be at 7.15pm local time in Canberra and AEDT / 1.45pm IDT. The toss and team news will be coming up shortly. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!
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