Suryakumar Yadav to lead India in 5-match T20I series against Australia

India vs Australia, T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav to lead India in 5-match T20I series. First T20I to be played at Vishakhapatnam on November 23.

Suryakumar Yadav to lead India against Australia in T20Is (Photo: ©BCCI/Twitter)

After India's unexpected six-wicket loss to Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final, attention has swiftly shifted to the upcoming ICC T20I World Cup set to unfold in the West Indies and the USA in June. As anticipated, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has opted not to include many senior players in the 15-member squad for the forthcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, commencing on November 23.

Star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav will assume the captaincy, with right-hand batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led the Indian team to a gold medal in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, serving as vice-captain for the first three T20Is. Shreyas Iyer will join the squad as vice-captain for the fourth and fifth T20Is.

Selectors justified the exclusion of Suryakumar, Prasidh Krishna, and Ishan Kishan—members of India's ODI World Cup squad—citing insufficient match practice for workload management. However, notable omissions include Yuzvendra Chahal and speedster Umran Malik, who were not part of the World Cup squad and were available for selection. The exclusion of Sanju Samson has also surprised fans. Nevertheless, these players have struggled to meet expectations since the T20 World Cup 2022, with Samson amassing only 78 runs and Chahal claiming 11 wickets in 11 matches.

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Series will be a crucial start to preparations for ICC T20 World Cup 2024

India faced a one-sided defeat against defending champions England in the T20I World Cup 2022. Since then, regular skipper Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli have not played a T20I match. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been part of the squad, playing alongside a new crop of players. Youngsters like Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have showcased considerable talent, but stepping into the shoes of stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is no small feat.

It is anticipated that Rishabh Pant will be fully recovered from injury, and when senior players like Rohit, Virat, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj make their comeback, only two to three vacant spots will remain in the squad.

In the modern-day T20 game, aggression often reaps rewards. The teams adhering to this principle have excelled and clinched tournaments. Skipper Rohit Sharma had expressed a desire for an aggressive brand of cricket before the previous T20 World Cup, but the team faltered in the semi-final against England. It remains to be seen how India will approach the upcoming series and whether they will adhere to an aggressive style as they prepare for the T20 World Cup 2024 and beyond.

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The announced squad for the five-match T20I series against Australia in India comprises Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar. Shreyas Iyer will join the squad as vice-captain for the fourth and fifth T20Is.

In the build-up to the T20 World Cup, India's approach and performance in this series will be closely watched, especially as they look to rebound from the disappointment in the ODI World Cup and set the tone for future tournaments.

India vs Australia T20I series schedule:

• 1st T20: November 23 in Vishakhapatnam

• 2nd T20: November 26 in Trivandrum

• 3rd T20: November 28 in Guwahati

• 4th T20: December 1 in Nagpur

• 5th T20: December 3 in Hyderabad

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