On the back of winning the first two T20Is from not so formidable positions, India will be looking to make it 3-0 in a Dettol T20I Series win down under. Virat Kohli will most probably go unchanged with playing XI to complete a whitewash. The only exception might be Yuzvendra Chahal, who was taken from plenty in the second Dettol T20I. It will be a bold move by Kohli to rest Chahal, as he was Man of the Match in the first Dettol T20I as a concussion substitute. Even if he is rested, there are no other potent spinning options. Shami might get a look-in but his limited over form has been questionable in Australia.
There are no pressing concerns for India in batting so to say, except Sanju Samson. Samson has shown sparks in the two opportunities. Manish Pandey, if fit, might get a nod ahead of him. It will be unfair on the young batsman if that happens. So, we should ideally see the same playing XI.
Expectations from Natarajan and Pandya
Though India has won the series, they might look at reducing dependency on Natarajan and lower-order (read Pandya). The openers have looked good, but none has been able to make good use of promising starts. India would hope that one amongst the top three plays long innings. Pandya might be promoted to no. 4 given his form against spinners.
Similarly, India would have worries about bowling. Australia has had better of bowlers in both ODIs and T20Is. Natarajan has been the only who has been able to contain Aussie batsman. Much will be expected of Chahar and Thakur. While Thakur was still finding his length, Chahar was taken apart by Wade. If India has to contain Aussie batsman, Chahar will need to find his rhythm. It is likely that Chahar and Sundar will open the bowling again.
India might still look to bowl again if they win the toss.
There are problems aplenty for the Aussies ahead of the final Dettol T20I. To start with, they would need to find rhythm in their bowling. With the absence of Hazelwood and Starc, the inexperienced bowling line up looks weak.
Australian Juggernaut
In the 2nd Dettol T20I Match Series, the bowling was wayward. Tye bowled two balls in the slot when Hardik Pandya was looking to score sixes. Guess the bowling would have been different with Starc and Hazelwood, not to mention Cummins. The pressure is too much on spinners Swepson and Zampa. Zampa has been hard to get away so far, but it will be too much for one bowler to take wickets. Swepson has been alright so far, and is the second bowling option in spin.
Tye and Abbott would need to find ways to tangle a strong Indian batting line up. It is fair to say that Indian batsmen are far from intimidated by Aussie bowlers. As seen in the second T20I, there was hardly any respect shown to Australian pacers. Most importantly, they need to find a plan against their nemesis Hardik Pandya. Langer and Wade would have a lot to work around their planning. We might see some changes in the Australian fast bowling line up.
For Australian batting, Short needs to score at the top. The BBL sensation has failed to make an impact at international level, and has particularly struggled against Indian bowlers. There cannot be a better ground than the SCG to get into the groove. Smith has not made the same kind of impact as he did in the ODIs, and Australian fans will be expecting much more from his bat. If Finch is back for the final T20I, Wade might go back to the middle order. It will be wise, however, if they can find a way to have Wade open. In the first T20I, Wade looked at sea in the middle order. Stoinis and Henriques seem to give stability and good finish to Aussies.
Our Prediction – Dettol T20I Series
Australia has all to play for. It would be humiliating if they are whitewashed. It should be a close finish. However, this time, we predict India to take this game and seal the Dettol T20I Series, as they have looked stronger and are certainly more confident of the two teams.