Big picture – Will India experiment?
It has rained runs all through the first three T20Is. Batters have turned bowlers into bowling machines instead and with 123 fours and 65 sixes hit already, expect more of the same as the teams reach Raipur for the fourth T20I.
There will be some relief for India knowing Glenn Maxwell has finally left the country after producing yet another stunning performance in Guwahati that has kept the series alive. It is now up to the eclectic group of reinforcements injected into Australia’s weary squad to square up the series, and given the long-term ambition for the 2024 T20 World Cup, experimentation could be on the cards.
For India’s bowlers, it will be an opportunity to pick themselves up after the Maxwell mauling. Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel have produced strong opening spells but dew has negated their effectiveness in the back end. The seamers, especially Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna, have missed their lengths regularly and gone for plenty. Deepak Chahar, recently drafted in, and Mukesh Kumar, back from his wedding, could cover some of India’s gaps in the powerplay and the death. They may also be tempted to play a proper sixth bowler after stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav struggled with only five choices in the last outing.
Form guide
India LWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Australia WWWWW
In the spotlight – Jason Behrendorff and Prasidh Krishna
Jason Behrendorff‘s height has always made him an X-factor, and that combined with his new-ball control has made him stand out in a series that’s been a graveyard for fast bowlers. He’s cramped India’s left-handers and teased the right-handers with deliveries that go across. The odd swinging ball into the right-handers have also kept them circumspect, and a result of that was his 17 dots in a spell of 1 for 12 in Guwahati. In the first T20I too, he had conceded only 25, and for Australia to level the series, his four overs will be crucial.
On the other end of the spectrum lies Prasidh Krishna, who as recently as the World Cup was being considered the next-best fast-bowling option after India’s first-choice seam-bowling trio. In the first three games, he’s been the seniormost fast bowler in the XI, but after an economy of more than 13 in the T20I series, he’ll have to dig deep into his reserves to find a way to overcome the rampaging batters.
Team news – Mukesh, Green in?
Mukesh should slot into the XI if India are looking at the series win and not anything long term. Otherwise, India have tried to give their players a long run this series.
India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Arshdeep Singh / Deepak Chahar, 10 Prasidh Krishna / Avesh Khan, 11 Mukesh Kumar
Will offspinner Chris Green get a left-field T20I debut for Australia? He is among four fresh players who could slot into the Australia XI in any combination after the likes of Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis left. Australia could also use batters Josh Philippe or Ben McDermott, or left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis. Aaron Hardie, despite conceding Australia’s joint-highest number of runs in a T20I last game, should get another go.
Australia (probable): 1 Aaron Hardie, 2 Travis Head, 3 Matthew Short, 4 Ben McDermott, 5 Tim David, 6 Matthew Wade (capt, wk), 7 Chris Green, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Tanveer Sangha.
Pitch and conditions
The only evidence of international cricket in Raipur was when New Zealand were rolled over for 108 by India in an ODI earlier this year. The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium once claimed to have the largest boundaries in Asia, but expect dimensions fit for a T20 extravaganza come Friday.
Two of Australia’s three fastest T20I hundreds have come in this series – by Inglis in Visakhapatnam and Maxwell in Guwahati – in 47 balls.
The stadium in Raipur lays the claim of being India’s 50th venue for international cricket.
Behrendorff has conceded only 37 runs in eight overs this series. He has also bowled the only two maiden overs delivered in the series.
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @sreshthx
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