Team India will be touring Australia after the completion of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This will be India’s first tour since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the sport in March. BCCI announced the team’s squad across all the three formats for the much-awaited tour on Monday evening.

Currently ranked third in the ICC T20I rankings, Virat Kohli and his boys will be looking forward to resuming their international stint in style. Coming into the tour with a lot of T20 action in the IPL, we can except India to perform well in the shorter format.

Here’s India’s predicted XI for the T20I series against Australia:

1. KL Rahul

KL Rahul is a right-handed wicket keeper top order batsmen. He is a classy modern day batsman who takes on the bowlers early on and capitalizes on the momentum. He plays wonderful cricketing shots and strikes the ball cleanly. His wicket keeping skills will certainly come in handy for Team India on Australia tour.

He is having a great IPL this year. Rahul is currently the Orange Cap holder with 595 runs to his name in 12 matches. He has been very brutal in smashing world-class bowlers to the fence. His ability to play spin so well allows him to play a long innings. The Karnataka lad has given Team India many great starts and he would be hoping to perform even better this time around.

Rahul’s performance is going to impact India’s chances of being successful. He will also take up the responsibility to keep the wickets for the side and will definitely be the one of the first few names in the XI.

2. Shikar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan is India’s regular opener when it comes to the limited-overs format. He plays much better in the shorter format. Once Dhawan gets going, there’s no stopping him and has been in great form in the IPL. He is second to only Rahul in the race for Orange Cap amassing 471 runs in 11 outings.

Smashing back to back centuries in the IPL, Dhawan announced his arrival in the leader board for the highest run getter in the IPL. He has produced some fascinating batting performances representing Team India. His regular opening pair Rohit Sharma will miss out on the tour of Australia and will have a major role in starting off the innings well.

The southpaw will be crucial to India’s chances down under and Dhawan himself will have to make sure that he doesn’t eat up many balls in the powerplay.

3. Virat Kohli (C)

Virat Kohli will be looking to lead his side from the front with the bat. His aggression on the field keeps the opposition on toes. His performance in this tour will be very much crucial for India’s success. The captain is having a good time at the IPL scoring consistently for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). His ability to rotate the strike and convert ones into twos will be handy in Australia given the bigger dimensions of the field.

Virat’s last visit to Australia was a successful one. He scored a 61-run knock helping India chase down the target and secure a win, in the first of three T20I. The series was tied with each side winning one and one game being washed out, making that match-winning knock from the captain even more valuable.

Virat has scored 2794 runs in 82 matches with an average of 50.8. Kohli likes to take the challenge to the opposition. He is a big match player and also adds value with his high intensity fielding. Virat Kohli must fire in order bring down a very good side like Australia.

4. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is a star in the making. His rise in the Indian Cricket has certainly resolved the middle order issues for Team India. Technically very stable, Iyer is capable of playing the big shots as well. In the shorter format of the game, it is important to able to maintain a good strike rate and Iyer does exactly that.

Batting at four, Shreyas Iyer brings in stability to the team. Taking on the responsibility of captaining the side for the Delhi Capitals, the Mumbai batsman has grown as a player. His shot selection has improved and is also capable of playing the new ball if situation arises. He has not got enough opportunities to prove himself in this format. This tour of Australia is a big stage for Shreyas Iyer to show his ability.

Iyer’s fearless and dominating stroke-play is a highlight in his batting. Shreyas Iyer is a must pick and as usual, will bat at the much-debated number four for India.

5. Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey is a middle order right-handed batsman. He has the ability to strike the ball cleanly. He is a technically sound player and has played some match winning innings for India in the past. His presence in the team will bring more stability and fire power.

With the top order performing most of the time, Manish hans’t got many chances to perform to the best of his ability. He has been in and out of the team for quite a while now. However, this tour of Australia is a great opportunity for him to finally cement his position. Now with the absence of MS Dhoni, Manish’s ability to strike big will be important.

He is a flamboyant stroke maker, plays spin well and has all the ability to step out and increase the strike rate in the death overs. His fielding skills adds much value to the team. He certainly finds himself in the XI.

6. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is a valuable all rounder for India. He is a powerful cricketer. The mighty right-hander can strike the ball quite a distance. He is more than handy with the ball as well. Pandya will take up the finisher role now that MS Dhoni has announced his retirement.

Pandya’s aggressive nature and fighting spirit is going to help Team India to compete with Aussies. He is a competitive cricketer and has given some amazing performances for India in the shorter format before. His addition to the team brings balance. He has a strike rate of 147 but during the death overs he tends to strike at more than 200.

However, it remains to be seen if he will be bowling at any stage during the series. Pandya hasn’t bowled a single ball for Mumbai Indians in the IPL so far due to his back issues and it will be interesting to see if he plays a proper batsman in the side.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is huge asset to Team India. He is a world-class all-rounder who bats in the lower-middle order and is effective with his left-arm orthodox spin. Team India is filled with players who are very good on the field. However, Jadeja is one of the best fielders in International Cricket.

Jadeja contributes immensely in all three aspects of the game. His athleticism on the field saves a lot of runs. His bowling restricts the run flow for the opposition and more often than not he picks a couple of wickets and finishes his quota with a great economy. Jadeja is a tough candidate for a captain to ignore because he is a live wire on the field.

His resurgence in the limited-overs format has been exceptional and it goes without saying that Jadeja will be crucial for India and more so, if Hardik Pandya doesn’t bowl.

8. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal is an intelligent bowler. He is one the main reasons for RCB’s success in the IPL this year. His ability to toss the ball draws the batsmen into a faulty shot and results in a wicket. Chahal can go for runs at times, but given the dimension of the grounds in Australia he wouldn’t be worried too much.

The spin master usually comes to bowl after the power play is concluded and picks wickets regularly in the middle overs. He has provided some crucial breakthroughs in the past. Bowling to the Aussies, Chahal will look to use all his variations.

Virat Kohli has to use Chahal in a smart manner. His four overs can change the course of the game during the series down under.

9. Deepak Chahar

The young medium pacer Deepak Chahar is a typical T20 specialist bowler. He swings the ball both ways during the initial overs of the match. Chahar is most likely to finish off his four within the powerplay. He also has a sharp bouncer up his sleeve. But more importantly he is a smart T20 bowler. He reads the batsman’s mind and unfurls his cutters and slower ones which will be a huge factor in Australia.

Touring Australia, Chahar will have to step up and stick to his game plan. Under the mentorship of bowling greats as Bumrah and Shami, he will definitely learn and do a good job. Chahar’s role in the squad will be to take wickets up front with the new ball.

Deepak Chahar has done well for India in the past and will be donning the blue jersey after a fair amount of break. He will be keen on doing well on the tour.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is currently one of the best bowlers in the international circuit. His ability to swing the new ball during the initials overs of the powerplay and to come back at the death and land those precise yorkers is absolutely impeccable.

The fast bowling friendly tracks in Australia will certainly help Bumrah perform well. The use of slow deliveries will be crucial given the size of the stadiums. His effective use of bouncers can cause problems to the Aussies. He was just able to take two wickets in the last T20I series down under.

This time around, he will be hoping to contribute in a much better way. Now that he is coming off the IPL, his plans for the Aussie batsmen would be fresh. He is India’s top bowler and will certainly play all matches on the tour.

11. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami is one of India’s finest fast bowlers. His bowling performance in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab has been brilliant this season. Shami will be very effective on the quick bouncy tracks in Australia. His sharp bouncer will be dangerous for the Aussies.

In Australia, picking up quick wickets is important and India will bank upon Shami to strike early. His ability to intimidate the batsmen with his consistent line and length will be of much use in Australia. Shami has previously bowled well in the country and will be hoping to perform even better. His ability to execute yorkers will come into action during the death overs.

Shami’s resurgence across all three formats at the highest level is an inspiring story and clearly, he will be the leader of the pace attack in Australia with Bumrah.