Post by : Meena Ariff

Shubman Gill will be keen to respond after a subdued stretch as India target a 2-1 lead against a weakened Australia in the fourth T20 International on Thursday. The series is level at 1-1 following three games, with Australia's earlier match affected by Josh Hazlewood's absence, which helped India chase a competitive 186.

Australia will be further hampered by the loss of opener Travis Head, who has returned to Sheffield Shield duties to prepare for the Ashes. With two notable absences, India have a clear opening to seize the series lead before the finale at the Gabba.

India experimented with combinations in the last encounter, successfully employing an all-rounder at No. 8. Yet Gill remains a concern: the vice-captain has now gone six innings without a fifty, registering scores of 10, 9, 24, 37*, 5, and 15 since the ODI series began. His most composed outing was a steady stand with skipper Suryakumar Yadav in Canberra.

Gill has struggled particularly to handle fuller deliveries when there is movement, and hasn't produced the consistency that once set him apart. Conversely, Abhishek Sharma — currently the world No.1 T20 batter — has impressed with a fifty and a pair of brisk starts. A big score here would be timely for Gill ahead of India's red-ball commitments in South Africa.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav has shown flashes of his best with promising starts in matches one and three, and will be looking to build momentum before the lengthy break leading into the South Africa Tests. He is expected to feature for Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy fixture against Puducherry during the interval.

India's bowling appears more balanced with Arshdeep Singh available, while Kuldeep Yadav has been rested to prioritise Test preparations. The management still faces selection puzzles in the spin department, with both Kuldeep and Arshdeep not considered a pairing. When Arshdeep has featured, Washington Sundar's aggressive 23-ball 49 proved pivotal in India's third-match win.

Australia will lean on skipper Mitchell Marsh and power-hitter Tim David to provide runs. With Travis Head out, Matthew Short is expected to open alongside Marsh. Their bowling unit could see changes too; Sean Abbott's place is being assessed, with Ben Dwarshuis or Mahli Beardman possible options if a switch is made.

India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (C), Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (WK), Josh Phillippe (WK), Mitchell Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Marcus Stoinis

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