Deepak Chahar Asia Cup 2018. (Photo Source: Twitter)
India have an unassailable 3-1 lead over Australia as the two teams lock horns in the fifth and final T20I on Sunday, December 3, in Bengaluru.
The two teams made one change apiece to their playing XI from the fourth game. Australia beefed up their fast-bowling resources by bringing in Nathan Ellis in place of off-spinner Chris Green. India, on the other hand, replaced Deepak Chahar with Arshdeep Singh. India’s stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav mentioned at the toss that Chahar has flown back home owing to a medical emergency.
The ‘Men in Blue’ bagged the series with a game to spare as they won the fourth T20I by 20 runs in Raipur, rendering the fifth game inconsequential. However, both teams pride themselves on their performances and will look to finish on a high. There are also a lot of young talents on both sides and they will be eager to prove themselves on one of the best batting surfaces in India.
What did the captains say at toss?
Matthew Wade won the toss and invited India to bat first. The experienced wicketkeeper-batter reckoned that the pitch could be ‘tacky’ and also spoke about the rain forecast. Meanwhile, Suryakumar admitted that he would have also bowled first if he won the toss. He said he was excited to play in front of a packed stadium in Bengaluru.
“We will have a bowl. The wicket feels a bit tacky and also there is a bit of weather around. One change for us. Ellis comes in for Green. Exciting times for selectors and youngsters, to make a mark and put pressure on some of the spots,” said Australia skipper Matthew Wade.
Suryakumar Yadav said: “We would have loved to bowl first. I told the team to not change anything, another opportunity to play in front of an amazing crowd, so just go and enjoy (is the message to the team). The way batting unit has delivered, just told them to believe and execute. Arshdeep comes in for Deepak Chahar. He (Deepak) has flown back home because of a medical emergency.”
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh
Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, Josh Philippe, Ben McDermott, Aaron Hardie, Tim David, Matthew Short, Matthew Wade(w/c), Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha
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