India will look to seize control of the T20I series when they meet a depleted Australia in the fourth match at Carrara on Thursday, with the contest finely poised at 1-1 after three games.
Australia enter the match without two of their key players. Josh Hazlewood’s absence in the previous game weakened their defence of 186, while opener Travis Head has returned to Sheffield Shield duty as part of his Ashes preparation. With both pillars missing, India sense an opportunity to push ahead before the final fixture at the Gabba.
India appeared to hit the right balance in the third T20I, introducing an all-rounder at No. 8 and tightening their bowling options. The inclusion of Arshdeep Singh has given the attack more bite, even as Kuldeep Yadav has been released to prepare for the Test series against South Africa.
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The composition of the bowling line-up remains a point of strategy. Kuldeep and Arshdeep are seldom paired together, forcing the management to weigh Harshit Rana’s utility with bat and ball, or opt for Washington Sundar after his blistering 23-ball 49 in the last game.
On the batting front, India have shown encouraging signs. Suryakumar Yadav has produced promising starts, while Abhishek Sharma has justified his status as the world’s top-ranked T20 batter with a brisk half-century and aggressive outings at the top.
Australia, meanwhile, will lean heavily on Mitchell Marsh and Tim David for firepower. Matthew Short is expected to partner Marsh at the top, but greater scrutiny falls on their bowling group, where Sean Abbott has been off-colour. One of Ben Dwarshuis or Mahli Beardman may be drafted in as Australia look to regroup.
With momentum shifting India’s way after their composed chase in the last outing, the visitors will look to tighten their grip on the series — and leave Australia scrambling for answers ahead of the decider in Brisbane.
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