India look to seal T20 series versus Australia

Kolkata: Series levelled, India will aim to take the lead in the fourth T20I in Queensland against a relatively weaker Australia after they released some of their top stars for the Ashes series that starts on November 21. Their squad depth is still remarkable though. Glenn Maxwell, who was out due to a wrist injury, is expected to return but more interesting is the anticipation that left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis is likely to bowl with the new ball.

To those who closely follow the Big Bash League, Dwarshuis has been a phenomenon. He not only swings the ball and wields excellent control but can also hit the ball a fair distance. He was first selected for Australia as a 23-year-old in 2017-18, but it wasn’t until 2022 that he finally made his debut. Only this year has he had a more regular run, impressing against South Africa three months back with a string of allround performances.

If he plays, Dwarshuis will bring a natural left to left matchup against Abhishek Sharma who displayed a different strain of batting in the Melbourne T20I. It’s no secret that India depend on Abhishek for quick starts but the earnestness shown in just hanging around as long as possible with wickets falling around him makes his scalp all the more valuable.

It’s still early summer in Australia, and the Carrara Oval has only hosted two T20Is before, but there is little doubt that seam bowlers will continue to get some help. Putting runs on the board is important, but both sides will look to pack their sides with match-winning bowlers, given an unbeatable series lead is on the line.

It brings the focus back on whether India will continue with Arshdeep Singh after his Player-of-the-Match performance in Hobart. Arshdeep has had a strange T20I career – the only Indian with more than 100 wickets and yet not a first choice in the eleven because India can’t field him and Kuldeep Yadav together.

“I think Arshdeep is experienced, he understands that there is also a bigger picture where we are trying different combinations,” India bowling coach Morne Morkel said on Wednesday. “He knows he is a world-class bowler, he has taken the most wickets for us in the Powerplay, so we know how valuable he is to the team. But for us on the day, on this tour, it is also just to have a look at other combinations, and he understands that.”

With just a few months left for the T20 World Cup, the road to selection can’t be easy for the players in the mix, said Morkel. “There will always be disappointment in terms of selection, but that is something that at times as a player is uncontrollable. From our side, we just keep on asking them to work hard and try hard and be ready for when they do get the opportunity. There are limited games now leading into the World Cup, so it is important for us to see how guys can react in certain situations under pressure, otherwise it will be unknown for us.”

The spin combinations are more or less set but India still look unsure about the allrounder options. Nitish Reddy has been injury prone, and if he is finally ready for some game time, India get to test an alternative to Shivam Dube who hasn’t bowled much. “You need to have options available,” said Morkel. “Every team, if you look across the world, are playing around with options. We will probably know one or two combinations that we set, but in this game you need to be adaptable, know where certain players can give you options in different roles.

“And with a World Cup around the corner, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned. You do not want to sit two years down the line and say, ‘if only we tried that or give this combination a bit more time, it would have developed’. So yes, it is about playing it smartly.”