India vs Australia 2018: Top 5 player battles for T20I series

India vs Australia 2018: The hosts have been going through a rough phase in recent times, but when the Indians gear up to challenge them in a three-match T20I series, it will be in their own backyard and a battle of equals.

Australia might be without their star performers in former skipper Steve Smith and David Warner, serving bans, but the Aussies are known to be true warriors. Discounting Australians is the biggest mistake an opposition can make on the cricket field. They have been going through a rough phase in recent times, but when the Indians gear up to challenge them in a three-match T20I series, it will be in their own backyard and a battle of equals.

File picture of Virat Kohli (AFP/Getty Images)

Hindustan Times takes a look at five player battles that could actually set the tone for the series:

Virat Kohli vs Billy Stanlake

Skipper Kohli will once again be expected to lead from the front when it comes to scoring the runs and the biggest threat to the India captain will be his former Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Stanlake. At 204 cms, Stanlake can get the ball to bounce steeply and it will be interesting to see if he does bother the batsman who loves going onto the front foot in the shorter formats of the game. Kohli’s past experience of playing on Australian pitches will definitely come in handy.

Rohit Sharma vs Jason Behrendorff

Left-arm fast and Rohit Sharma don’t really go well. The India opener has been known to have issues with left-arm pacers and to add to that, Behrendorff has in the past dismissed Rohit. While it isn’t an issue on Indian wickets as such, Rohit will surely want to play the ball coming in after pitching a little more cautiously on the Australian wickets. After all, a good foundation at the top of the innings will be crucial for the team.

Chris Lynn vs Kuldeep Yadav

Both are a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in the Indian Premier League. But how much of that will come into play during the upcoming T20I series? Lynn loves taking on the bowlers and Kuldeep loves flighting the ball up to induce risky shots. While the googly is a potent weapon for Kuldeep against opposition batsmen, it will be of interest to see if Lynn manages to pick the wrong one from the hand of his KKR teammate.

Aaron Finch vs Jasprit Bumrah

A T20I game is all about the start and while skipper Finch will want to lead by example, India skipper Kohli has one of the best limited-overs bowler in Bumrah. While his red-ball career has been on a rise ever since he made his debut in South Africa, his white-ball performance has been just as impressive and consistency is what sets him apart. It will be interesting to note how he decides to use the Australian conditions to keep the likes of Finch under check at the start of the innings.

Glenn Maxwell vs Yuzvendra Chahal

On his day, Maxwell can take the game away from the opposition. But then, the lack of consistency makes him a worry for the team management. Not to forget his inability to curb the big swing to deep mid-wicket against the spinners. This is exactly where Chahal will come into the picture. Known to flight the ball and induce the big shots, the longish boundaries in Australia will definitely aid the diminutive leg-spinner.