India have an excellent record in Australia.
Success has always eluded teams when it comes to a cricket series victory in Australia, but India have an excellent record against Australia in T20 Internationals - they have not lost a single T20 series in Australia for 17 years now. With a 2-1 lead in this five-match series in Australia, India go into the final match at the Gabba. One game was washed out; out of the three that remained, India won two. This will also be their last T20I match against Australia before the T20 World Cup.
Focus on Consistent Batting
Inconsistency in batting is the prime cause for concern for India in this series. A lot is expected from captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill to come out with a strong innings in the final match. Suryakumar is still not getting a half-century in this series, while Shubman showed some glimpse in the fourth T20; he has not crossed 50 runs in the last seven innings. Their team is hoping both batters will come out well in the final game. Also, Tilak Varma, who did well in the Asia Cup, has managed scores of 0, 29, and 5 in this series. Washington Sundar and Axar Patel have added valuable runs in the lower order.
Pace of Attack Will Be Key
India won the fourth T20 by utilising spin effectively, but Gabba is a haven for the pace bowlers. Onus would be on Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, who can become important factors. Aggressive bowling from Arshdeep might pose some problems for Australian batters if he gets his rhythm right with Bumrah. Shivam Dube, the pace all-rounder, is another key factor. The team would ideally go into the match with the same line-up that included Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar as its spinning options.
Australia Batting Under Pressure
The only way Australia can save this series is by batting. With Travis Head unavailable, the onus will lie with captain Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Tim David. Matthew Short has been out of form and Glenn Maxwell returning from injury has not been able to make enough impact. As far as bowling is concerned, Ben Dwarshuis has not got a single wicket in this series and the absence of Josh Hazlewood has weakened Australia's bowling strength. Fast bowler Beardman might make his debut in the final match. Predicted Playing XIs India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah. Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Matthew Short, Josh Inglis, Tim David, Mitchell Owen/Josh Philippe, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa The Gabba Pitch and Weather Conditions: The nature of the Gabba pitch will definitely help the pace bowlers with good bounce and swing. If the batters adjust well in the beginning then runs are easier to score. The recent big bash league matches have also witnessed big totals on this ground. However, there can be a possibility of thunderstorms in the second half of the game as well.
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