India, Nov 5 : Arrive at Carrara Oval on Thursday brimming with confidence, eyeing a crucial series lead in the fourth T20I as Australia contend without key batter Travis Head, who has returned home for Ashes preparations. Head’s absence presents India with an opportunity to exploit a reshuffled Australian batting order and claim a 2-1 advantage in the tightly contested series.
India’s top order, led by Shubman Gill and the aggressive Abhishek Sharma, has been consistently setting strong foundations. The middle order duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma adds flair and game changing potential, while the depth of the batting lineup including Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh ensures India can maintain pressure throughout the innings.
The bowling attack is equally well-balanced. Jasprit Bumrah spearheads the pace attack, with Arshdeep Singh providing support at the other end. Spin options Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel are expected to exploit Carrara Oval’s subtle turn in the latter stages, potentially turning the tide with crucial middle-over wickets.
Australia will lean on Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, and Glenn Maxwell to fill the void left by Head. Nathan Ellis and Matthew Kuhnemann are expected to contain India’s scoring, supported by pacers Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett.
Carrara Oval’s pitch, which historically favours chasing teams, sets the stage for a competitive total around 180-190 runs. The toss could prove decisive, with teams likely to bowl first to exploit early seam movement and spin in the later overs.
With the series tied at 1-1, India sense a golden chance to gain momentum, while Australia must regroup to keep their series hopes alive. The fourth T20I is set to begin at 1:45 PM IST on Thursday, promising an exciting contest packed with fast-paced action, strategic battles, and cricketing brilliance.
Squads:
Australia: Tim David, Matthew Short, Mitchell Marsh (C), Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (WK), Josh Philippe (WK), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha, Mahli Beardman
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy