India Target Series Advantage Against Depleted Australia
India looks to gain the upper hand against Australia in the fourth T20, with Shubman Gill aiming to bounce back from recent performance struggles.
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Raipur, November 6 — With the five-match T20I series evenly poised at 1-1, Team India aims to seize the advantage when they face a depleted Australian side in the fourth T20 International here on Thursday. All eyes will rest on vice-captain Shubman Gill, who is eager to rediscover his touch after a string of low scores during what has been an underwhelming tour so far.
Australia, missing two key players — Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head — struggle with momentum. Head has been released to play in the Sheffield Shield as part of his preparation for the Ashes, while Hazlewood’s absence in the last game was evident in Australia’s inability to defend a total of 186.
This encounter presents a golden opportunity for India to take a lead of 2-1 before the final match at the Gabba, with the prospect of wrapping up the series at stake. In the previous match, India’s team combination looked more balanced, with an all-rounder positioned at No. 8 providing crucial depth in both batting and bowling.
Shubman Gill’s form remains a concern, however. The stylish right-hander has gone six innings without reaching a half-century, with recent scores of 10, 9, 24, 37*, 5, and 15. Although he showed glimpses of rhythm in Canberra during a partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav, Gill has largely struggled against fuller deliveries that move away.
On a positive note, opener Abhishek Sharma continues to impress, living up to his reputation as the world’s No. 1 T20 batter. He delivered a fine half-century along with two quickfire starts, boosting India’s chances significantly.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav also displayed flashes of brilliance in the first and third games. He will look to convert his starts into a bigger innings before the team heads into a month-long break ahead of the upcoming series against South Africa.
Match starts at 1:45 PM IST.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (C), Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (WK), Josh Phillippe (WK), Mitchell Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Marcus Stoinis.
