India tour of Australia: A look at some key stats ahead of the first T20I

The Indian Cricket team will look to get their ODI series disappointment behind when they take on hosts Australia, in a three-match T20I series, which begins on December 4 at the Manuka Oval.

India were brutally battered in the opening two ODIs, but a consolation 13-run victory in the final game of the series means Virat Kohli's men now have reason to be optimistic about. India may have floundered in the fifty-overs format, but their stocks in the shortest format have been on a constant rise. They have, in fact, lost just one of their last 10 T20Is (excluding no results), with their last defeat coming against West Indies in December last year. 

All this coupled with the fact that India have never lost a bilateral T20I series against Australia is an added bonus, to say the least.

The India vs Australia head-to-head count in the shortest format further favours the former as they have won 11 of their 20 games against the Aussies, whiles losing just eight. Momentum is rightly on India’s side and they will certainly enter the contest as the favourites, especially in this series. So with that being said, we take a look at some preemptive stats ahead of the India vs Australia 1st T20I.

KL Rahul on the brink of something special

Rohit Sharma’s absence from the T20I setup means the onus will come on KL Rahul to give his team a perfect headstart. Rahul, who was the highest run-scorer of the 2020 Indian T20 League, averages 45.65 in the T20I and is mere seven runs short of completing 1000 T20 runs in 2020. Pakistan’s Babar Azam is the only player to cross the 1000-run mark this year.

In the midst of scoring 993 runs, Rahul has smashed eight half-centuries and one century, including 85 fours and 34 sixes.

Regardless of his form though, the Punjab captain has evidently struggled against the Aussies in the format. Rahul has played five T20Is against Australia and averages just 31, which is his worst figure if compared to the other teams. Furthermore, the right-handed batsman has developed a potential weakness during the course in the format. His struggle against leg-spinners across T20s in 2020 can be understood by the fact that he has been dismissed by the bowling type on a whopping six occasions, while averaging just 21.33. So, it is safe to say that Adam Zampa will be Australia’s key man against Rahul.

Glenn Maxwell’s home struggle

All-rounder Glenn Maxwell was fantastic in the ODI series, where he scored two quick-fire half-centuries, but his T20 numbers are not half as good. The 32-year-old accumulated a mere 108 runs in 11 innings at a lowly average of 15.42. Not only was he proving out to be a liability, but he also failed to clear the ropes in those 11 innings.

One might argue that the home conditions may work in his favour, but the stats say otherwise. Maxwell has played three T20Is in 2020 and has accumulated just 33 runs in those games. An evident struggle to clear the rope means he now takes an average of 15.5 balls to hit a boundary in T20Is. Furthermore, Maxwell’s figures of 82 runs in five innings against India in Australian conditions is a certain eye-opener. Here’s a detailed bifurcation of how he had performed against Indian at different venues:

It remains to be seen which Maxwell will turn up in Canberra.

Stats to keep an eye on:

3: more sixes Shikhar Dhawan needs to complete 50 T20I

3: sixes Virat Kohli needs to complete 300 T20 sixes

4: sixes Aaron Finch needs to complete 100 T20I sixes, he would be the 1^st AUS to reach this landmark

50^th: T20I match for Ravindra Jadeja if he plays in the 1^st T20I vs AUS

300: Finch will be playing his 300^th T20 game if he takes the field in the 1^st T20I vs IND.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / David Gray