Australia tour of India, 2023

Two countries that competed for cricket's greatest trophy four days ago will be back on the field to play some more. Agreed, it's in a different cricket format in an entirely different setting on the East Coast of India. Agreed, it's a largely different set of players, with only nine here out of the 30 who were at the World Cup final. Agreed, it's a different broadcaster who will bring the pictures live. But, in the end, the same set of eyes will tune in to watch. There's never sufficient cricket. Not in this part of the world.  1st T20I  Live Cricket Match India Vs Australia

That they hold their cricket dear is evident when you step inside the venue for the first T20I between the sides in Visakhapatnam. Standing by the Colonel CK Nayudu statue, there's an arch commemorating the first Test match this ground hosted in 2016. Step inside the administrative building and there's an Honors Board not just for the best performers but also for each match that the venue hosts. Talk to individuals rushing around in last-minute preparations and they can't stop gloating about how India vs Australia on Thursday is a "sell-out". Live Cricket Match India vs Australia, 2nd T20I

Last weekend, thousands of offline tickets went up for sale and took off the shelves in minutes according to local reports. Yes, sometimes it can feel like there's too much cricket but the vastness of India accommodates it with aplomb and asks for more of it. For instance, Visakhapatnam is one of the 53 international grounds in India and it's more than happy to see some cricket after missing out on hosting the World Cup. Hyderabad, perhaps a more notable cricket destination and one of the ten World Cup venues, didn't host an India game. Eden Gardens hasn't hosted Australia in a Test since the legendary match in 2001. And Mumbai, arguably the home of Indian cricket, has witnessed only two Tests in a decade.  Live Cricket Match India vs Australia, 3nd T20I

That's the kind of appetite India's infrastructure has for cricket. And we haven't even spoken about the fans yet, 1.25 million of whom scanned their tickets at the turnstiles to watch World Cup games. The 2023 edition, in a nutshell, was the most attended and most saw of all time. Like ICC Chair Greg Barclay put it, this was the "biggest Cricket World Cup ever." But glance around Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium and you'd be forgiven for thinking that the World Cup is still on.

Here in Visakhapatnam, it doesn't matter that a World Cup final was played four nights ago. It doesn't matter that a World Cup final was lost by India four nights ago. It doesn't matter that the visiting Indian side doesn't have a Virat Kohli or a Rohit Sharma. What seems to matter is there's cricket in town after the silence of the World Cup and it's perhaps time to make up for it. Live Cricket Match India vs Australia, 4th T20I

When: India vs Australia, 1st T20I on November 22, 2023 at 7:00 pm

Where: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam

What to expect: Some more cricket. The outfield at this venue catches your eye - it's firm and lush and green. And the straight boundaries are longer than the ones on the square.

The pitch, just before the match, bore a familiar straw-hued look that's associated with great batting conditions at the venue. The last T20I here was in June 2022, when India posted 179/5 before Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel shared seven wickets to bowl the opposition out for 131. That of course was a totally different time of the year; better batting conditions are expected this time around. That said, it's been raining in the leadup and the weather is set to be overcast on the day of the game.

Team News

India

There's plenty for India to unpack here. Ahead of the T20 World Cup in June next year, they have five T20Is in this series to go with three against South Africa (away) and three against Afghanistan (home). But what they have at their disposal is a squad missing a lot of first-decision players. Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (unavailable for first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya (regular T20I captain of late), Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj haven't arrived with the team in Vizag but are probably going to make the cut in the World Cup squad of 15. Live Cricket Match India vs Australia, 5th T20I

Which brings us to the squad that's here and what roles the team management assigns them. Jitesh Sharma is the only designated attendant in the squad released by the BCCI but stand-in skipper Suryakumar said that both Ishan and Jitesh Sharma are in line to take the gloves. Nonetheless, on the off chance that Ishan plays as an unadulterated batter, there will be room for only one of Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma in the center request.

As far as the opening combination is concerned, bad habit captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is probably going to slot at the top but who out of Ishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal will partner him is anybody's guess. Axar Patel the all-rounder is probably going to be picked ahead of Washington Sundar. West Indies vs England, 1st ODI Live Cricket Score

Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan

Australia

"Miracle." That's what Mitchell Marsh thinks it will be if Travis Head, fresh from a great ODI innings in the World Cup final, plays in this first T20I. Matthew Wade, who's captaining Australia in this series, said the team management will see the way Head pulls up in the training and that there "won't be any pressure from us on him to play the first one.. but he'll definitely feature throughout the series."

With Wade an option to take the gloves, Inglis can get some much required rest but questions remain over the availability of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis, all of whom were a crucial part of the World Cup-winning squad. Sean Abbott, played only one World Cup game and should ideally be adequately fresh to take the field.

Probable XI: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade (c, wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell/Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa/Tanveer Sangha, Jason Behrendorff

Did you be aware?

The last time India and Australia met in Vizag, which was in an ODI earlier this year, Mitchell Starc took a five-wicket haul in a match-winning performance

India have lost three of the last five completed T20Is against Australia at home but the only two wins came in the most recent matches

This is the first time Suryakumar Yadav is captaining the Indian team

What they said

"Really excited as a collective to be here and get the opportunity. You know, we've got a couple of guys that are crossing over from the World Cup and also have a lot of fresh faces here. They're excited to be in India and play for Australia for the first time in this country" - Matthew Wade, Australia captain

"When I met the squad in the afternoon today, I told them to be extremely selfless when you go into the field. Because I'm a person who doesn't think too much about personal milestones but instead thinks of a team's goal. And I've always told them that you have to keep the team first" - Suryakumar Yadav, India captain