India vs Australia 3rd T20I playing XI tip off: Gaikwad-Jaiswal to continue as openers, Avesh to replace Arshdeep and, Head to return for AUS

India vs Australia 3rd T20I playing XI tip off: Gaikwad-Jaiswal to continue as openers, Avesh to replace Arshdeep and, Head to return for AUS

Having gained a 2-0 lead with wins in Vishakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram, India will be looking to sweep the five-match T20I series against Australia in Guwahati. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the men in blue followed a last ball win in the first game with a 44-run triumph on Sunday.

Australia, who came into the series as ODI World Cup champions, have been missing the services of quite a few of their regulars but will have the last opportunity to keep the series alive. As a result, both the lineups can see changes on Tuesday.

Gaikwad-Jaiswal to remain openers

They may not have contributed big in the first T20I when India chased down their biggest-ever total in the format but Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal displayed their firepower at the top of the Indian batting lineup in the second match of the series. Scoring half centuries, the two added a blistering 77 runs off just 35 deliveries in Thiruvananthapuram.

With Rohit Sharma’s future in the format still unclear and Shubman Gill having taken a hiatus from the sport following the World Cup, Gaikwad and Jaiswal have been India’s first choice openers with Ishan Kishan coming in to bat at number three.

The two are also likely to be contenders for the sports come the T20 World Cup in six months time and the ongoing series offers them the chance to make a strong claim for the same.

Avesh in place of Arshdeep

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has looked out of juice from his first two appearances in the series – just the one wicket and 87 runs from his eight overs quota. Known for his ability to control the game in the death overs, Arshdeep has been unable to nail his lengths right.

With a strong grip on the series, India may have a go with Avesh Khan, who has also been a regular squad feature in India’s T20 scheme of things.

READ | How India had perfect T20 game with bat, with three quick-fire fifties and a blitz of a cameo

Travis Head returns

Having scored a player of the match winning century in the ODI World Cup final against India, Travis Head is yet to play a match for Australia since. Even though he was included in the T20I squad for the ongoing series, Head was rested for the first two T20Is.

With Australia having the last chance to salvage a series win, Matthew Wade and Co may call up their World Cup win’s lead protagonist with the bat in Guwahati. Even though Head averages the poorest of all three formats in the T20Is, his recent exploits with the bat are hard to look over. Matthew Short, who has had two dismal outings is likely to make way for the swashbuckling southpaw.

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Predicted XI

India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.

Australia: Steve Smith, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (c & wk), Sean Abbott, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha