Australia, India brace for spicy T20 showdown

If the ODIs were the preliminary yet heavy entree that you often get served upon arrival in an Indian household, the Ashes can be considered the ultimate main course plated for the business end of the summer. That would make the tightly-packed five-match T20I series between Australia and India that very tempting in-between snack you're handed for the peckishness in between the two meals.

To start with, these are the two best T20I teams in world cricket currently. With the Indians probably well ahead of everyone else, including Australia who to their credit are playing their best T20 cricket in a while.

Also if the ODIs were centred around the final appearances from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on Australian soil; the T20Is are all about the premiere outings for the next generation of Indian superstars Down Under.

It's safe to say that most cricket fans in Australia are currently chomping at the bits for the Ashes to start, with speculation rising with each passing day over the make-up of the home team's line-up. But the next week and a bit will come as a welcome break from that anxiety-leaden pursuit, at least briefly, as they sit back and revel in the gangbusters approach to batting from two power-packed batting line-ups as we travel across the country, from the southern tip all the way up to the northern belt.

There's also the added layer to how things shape up in this five-match series, with both teams on significantly impressive winning sprees in the lead-up to the next T20 World Cup, which starts in less than four months.

What to expect: The nation's capital doesn't see a lot of men's international cricket at this time of the year so there still seems to be a tinge of newness to proceedings here. There's been unseasonal rain in most parts of Australia, but it's expected to clear by the time the opening T20I kicks off in Canberra.

The Australian selectors have been busy shuffling the pack over the last week or so with their squads to give their certain and potential Test players enough preparation time for the Ashes while maintaining a strong enough group to combat India's challenge. A couple of unforeseen injuries have further complicated affairs, and that should open the doors for Josh Philippe to probably get a game as a specialist batter as Josh Inglis returns to the team. That does give the Aussies a very ominous looking batting line-up up and down the order, with special focus on Josh Hazlewood as he continues to wheel away at the top of his game.

Australia is in for a treat with many of the names on display in the Indian T20I setup, and the question really will be how they slot in Kuldeep Yadav ahead of one of their two all-rounders, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar.

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