Australia’s ODI World Cup triumph joy is yet to sink in while India are still licking their wounds after the loss in Ahmedabad. Just three days after a game of that magnitude, the two countries lock horns in yet another bilateral series, beginning at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, though the format — T20 — is different.

The two teams, too, will be sporting a different look with most of the players who were there for the 50-over showpiece not available in the respective squads. So far as intensity is concerned, the ones there will certainly want to prove a point with an eye on next year’s T20 World Cup, which begins on June 4.

For India, only Suryakumar Yadav, named captain for the series, keeper-batter Ishan Kishan and pacer Prasidh Krishna will continue after an arduous World Cup campaign with Shreyas Iyer set to be available for the last two games on December 1 and 3. Among the Australians, Motera centurion Travis Head, Steve Smith, keeper-batsman Josh Inglis, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, leg-spinner Adam Zampa and pacer Sean Abbott have stayed back following their sixth World Cup title.

This series matters more for India as it’s a test for their young guns, who need to prove whether they are ready to shoulder the responsibility and if it’s time to think beyond some of the senior pros.

This series thus is definitely an opportunity for the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh to impress the selectors and stay
in the reckoning for the coming games which will all be a part of India’s build-up to the T20 Cup, in the West Indies and the US.

Travis Head, India’s chief tormentor in the ODI World Cup final on Sunday, gears up for the first of the five T20Is in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. PTI photo

Skipper Surya, too, will have an important role here. How he guides and motivates these cricketers trying to excel at the highest level will be crucial not just in their progress, but in terms of the series’ outcome too. Besides, back to the format where he seems to feel the most comfortable, Surya will certainly be looking to lead from the front and put in performances to be in the frame of mind that tends to frighten the opposition.

Although it’s more of a second-string Australian bowling attack, they will not hand stuff on a platter, which means how Surya fares will again be key. Whether he comes out at No.3 or 4 shouldn’t make too much of a difference, but Surya and the rest of the team management have to be careful about forming a balanced XI.

India’s batting order looks more or less settled with Kishan, Gaikwad, Varma and Rinku expected in the line-up. Left-arm spinner all-rounder Axar Patel, missing the World Cup owing to quadriceps strain, is also likely to return.

But it remains to be seen if lead pacer Arshdeep Singh is accompanied by Prasidh Krishna and Mukesh Kumar or any one of the two, depending on the pitch.