India vs Australia, Ist T20I: Preview, when and where to watch, head to head, key stats and more

1. Team talk: Australia

Australian cricket has been dogged by structural reform in the wake of the ball-tampering saga in South Africa in March and it has resulted in turbulence on the field as well. On Tuesday, CA ruled out reducing the bans of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in reply to a submission from the Australian Cricketers' Association. Since the ban, Australia is yet to win a T20I series against an opposition of note.

Australia lost to England in a one-off game in June, then lost to Pakistan in the T20I tri-series final in Zimbabwe, lost 3-0 to Pakistan again in the bilateral series in the UAE, and then lost to South Africa in a rain-curtailed one-off match. It remains to be seen whether being on home turf would raise the spirits for the once invincible Aussies.

2. Team talk: India

The significant change for India ahead of this series is the return of skipper Virat Kohli, who was rested for the three-match contest against West Indies at home. In England, the skipper batted at number four, allowing KL Rahul to bat at number three in light of his stupendous form in the IPL 2018. Rahul's current form though is nothing to write home about. He managed only 16, 26 not out and 17 against the West Indies in the recent T20I series. And that could be bit of a worry for the team management.

Early indicators from India's final pre-match practice suggest that Rishabh Pant will don the keeping gloves. He practised glovework under the watchful eyes of coach Ravi Shastri, while Karthik only did some out-fielding.

3. India's bowling combo

With ample bounce anticipated on the Gabba pitch, three pacers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Khaleel Ahmed - are certain starters. Washington Sundar, who played the last T20I against the West Indies as Bumrah was rested, is expected to make way. Kuldeep Yadav is expected to be the first-choice spinner ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal as was the case against the West Indies. Krunal Pandya was the all-rounder against the West Indies, and should he continue to play.

4. Squads

Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye and Adam Zampa.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed.

5. Telecast

The match will be live on Sony Sports Networks and it will be live streamed on Sony LIV. If you are on the move, then keep an eye on the MyKhel Live Blog and the smatch starts from 2.30 pm IST.