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Rajkot: Comeback man Yuvraj Singh will be the cynosure of all eyes as a full-strength India lock horns with a relatively inexperienced Australian side in the one-off Twenty20 game on Thursday, aiming to gain early momentum ahead of the upcoming seven-match ODI series.
The match, which is expected to set the tone for a gruelling season ahead, promises to be an exciting face-off at the SCA Stadium, with Australia keen to test their young players before the return Ashes showdown with England.
The elements, though, could play spoilsport. The state has been experiencing heavy downpour and the Met department has forecast more rains till Thursday.
The hosts, with most of their players having got into the groove for the long international season ahead by taking part in the Champions T20 League or by playing for India A, start as favourites against the visitors led by Tasmanian George Bailey.
The two teams have faced off in seven previous T20 games, with Australia holding a slightly better record at 4-3.
India last played a T20 match against Pakistan at Ahmedabad in December.
After a two-month break from international cricket, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will look to re-start his stint at the helm with a win.
However, the focus will be primarily on Yuvraj, who would be eager to prove a point after being recalled to the squad following a string of good scores for India A against the Windies A and a solid display for India Blue in the Challenger Series.
Besides, two Saurashtra players -- all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat -- would also be keen to show their prowess in front of home crowd.
The Indian batting looks very formidable. Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have been in good form with fluent performances in the Champions League, while left-handed Suresh Raina has also been in good touch, amassing 221 runs for CSK in the tournament. Then there is the strong middle-order consisting of Virat Kohli, Yuvraj and Dhoni.
The Indian pace attack appears balanced with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma bowling well in tandem, and the duo would look to make early inroads. Bengal speedster Mohammed Shami and seasoned Karnataka seamer Vinay Kumar are the other bowlers in the pace attack.
Leg spinner Amit Mishra, Jadeja and off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, along with part-timers Raina, Rohit and Yuvraj, give the side plenty of slow bowling options.
Australia, on the other hand, would be equally eager to start their campaign on a winning note.
The visitors, who were whitewashed 0-4 by the hosts in the Test series earlier this year, have been going through some testing times and is a team in transition, struggling to maintain consistency.
"The inexperience is one of our learning curves at the moment. We have to get past that. It is probably our weakness, however, it is also our strength. Youthful exuberance often can be very good when it comes to the final crunches," coach Steve Rixon said ahead of the series.
The visitors have played only one T20 match in India, in 2007 in Mumbai, which the hosts won by seven wickets.
Teams from:
India: MS Dhoni (Capt. & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, Amit Mishra and Ambati Rayudu.
Australia: George Bailey (Capt.), Shane Watson, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty, Nic Maddinson, Clint McKay and Adam Voges.
Match facts
Thursday Oct 10, 2013 (day/night)
Start time 19:30 local (14:00 GMT)
