Head’s protege powers scary Indian line-up as Aussies eye World Cup revenge — T20I series ultimate guide

If India’s newest T20 sensation dominates the Aussies over the next week and a half, we may have Travis Head to blame.

The Australian superstar’s opening partner at the IPL’s Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma, is the hottest thing in short-form cricket after just 15 months at international level.

The player of the tournament at the recent Asia Cup, scoring 314 runs from seven innings, Sharma poses a dangerous new threat in an Indian side that knocked Australia out of the last T20 World Cup.

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The Aussies haven’t lost a series since then, going an impressive 16-2, but India is unbeaten in its last nine bilateral series and has won six straight.

Something has to give in this five-game series leading into the Ashes.

WHEN ARE THE T20I GAMES ON?

October 29: First T20I v India, Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7:15pm AEDT

October 31: Second T20I v India, MCG, Melbourne, 7:15pm AEDT

November 2: Third T20I v India, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7:15pm AEDT

November 6: Fourth T20I v India, Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast, 7:15pm AEDT

November 8: Fifth T20I v India, The Gabba, Brisbane, 7:15pm AEDT

A sold-out MCG on Halloween night headlines the series with expectations the trend from the ODIs, where Indian fans packed out the stands and turned it into a virtual home series, will continue.

HOW CAN I WATCH THE AUSTRALIA vs INDIA T20I SERIES?

The only place to watch all five matches of the series is Fox Cricket, with live and exclusive coverage via Foxtel and streaming on Kayo.

WHO’S PLAYING?

Australia’s T20 squad

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott (games 1-3), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (games 3-5), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (games 4-5), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (games 1-2), Glenn Maxwell (games 3-5), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis

Many of Australia’s Test stars are either unavailable or will duck out mid-series for Shield duties, including Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood and potential first Test call-up Sean Abbott, while Adam Zampa misses through paternity leave.

But there’s plenty of excitement coming into the squad mid-series including Glenn Maxwell, recovering from a broken wrist, plus potential debutant speed demon Mahli Beardman.

India’s T20 squad

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar

The big inclusion is Jasprit Bumrah, who’s back for his first cricket down under since a dominant performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last summer.

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