India vs Australia 4th T20: Five storylines to follow at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur
Australia are in a fight to stay alive in the T20 series against India and the fourth match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur is going to be another do-or-die battle for Matthew Wade and Co. Glenn Maxwell’s 104 not out trumped Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 123 in the third T20 as Aussies bounced back to keep their hopes alive. They, however, still trail 1-2 in the five-match series and Maxwell has returned home.
India on the other hand will be looking to clinch the series with a game to go.
We take a look at the five major storylines to follow in the fourth T20 between India and Australia.
Pitch and conditions
Only one international match has been played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. In the ODI between India and New Zealand in January 2023, the Kiwis were bowled out for 108. Should we then expect another low-score game? That is going to be a big mystery. The record shows bowling-friendly conditions but all pitches so far in the series have been batting paradise and organisers must have worked hard to ensure another belter at Raipur.
Guwahati ✈️ Raipur#TeamIndia are here for the 4️⃣th #INDvAUS T20I 👌🏻👌🏻@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/kotB4o8vll
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 29, 2023
Shreyas Iyer to come in?
Shreyas Iyer has joined the Team India squad and is expected to come straight in. After all, he is too big a player to be added to the squad and kept on the bench. However, the ideal thing for India would have been to give the youngsters a long run to prove their mettle. Tilak Varma is expected to make way for Iyer. Coming at No 5, Tilak hasn’t got much to do so far but scored 31 off 24 balls in the third T20 which India lost at Guwahati.
India to pick six bowlers?
India failed to defend a target of 223-run in the third T20 as the bowlers struggled on the flat track and against dew. Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s hands were also tied as he only had five bowling options. Ideally, India would want to have six bowling options but the lack of all-rounders means they may be forced to stick with just five bowlers unless SKY decides to spring a surprise.
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 30, 2023
Prasidh Krishna in focus
Prasidh Krishna is the senior pacer in the team but he is struggling with form. In the last match he was smashed for 68 runs in four overs — the most expensive figures for India in T20I cricket. Krishna could be replaced by Avesh Khan in the team. Deepak Chahar and Mukesh Kumar are also fighting to get in and this could see Arshdeep also getting out. Avesh, Deepak and Mukesh could be the three pacers at Raipur.
Jason Behrendorff in focus
Behrendorff, a left-arm bowler who is tall and can swing the ball, proved to be a huge success in Guwahati despite India scoring 222. He gave away just 12 runs in four overs. His ability to cramp left-hand batters for space and get the ball away from right-handers has worked well for Behrendorff and it will be interesting to see how Indian batters deal with the 33-year-old in Raipur.
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