(ESPN) Given the puzzling scheduling of this series, against an opponent with a core of exhausted players, who were part of an ODI World Cup-winning squad, it’s probably not surprising that India are on the brink of already wrapping up the series. With an overhaul of their World Cup team, India are fresher and have enjoyed playing under the aggressive leadership of Suryakumar Yadav. But the opening two games were mostly competitive testament to Australia’s depth and a fiercely contested rivalry that almost always delivers. Having shown signs of sluggishness in a 44-run defeat in the second T20I, it remains to be seen whether Australia can rally and keep the series alive as the teams get ready to fly from the south-west corner of the country to Guwahati in the east with a turnaround time of under 48 hours. Australia will value tinkering with their line-ups and strategies ahead of the T20 World Cup, which is just over six months away.
Of note, legspinner Tanveer Sangha, 22, has shown courage in the tough surroundings while big-hitting Tim David unleashed a whirlwind in Thiruvananthapuram in a welcome sign for a team looking for a finisher.
As the World Cup fades away, with the IPL 2024 trade action starting to take hold, India are enjoying a tonic with a new-look team that impressively built on a tense series-opening win. Their batting has been exciting with each of the top four batters having made half-centuries so far in the series before Rinku Singh has taken over in the latter overs. It’s been a tougher ask for their bowlers, but India have shown urgency in the field under the energetic Suryakumar.
They will hope to continue a strong start to their T20 World Cup preparations.
