Virat Kohli
Indian batsmen need to score big in Hyderabad.IANS

For the first time in the limited-overs series, India are under pressure against Australia.

It is the third and final Twenty20 International on Friday (October 13) with the winner taking the trophy.

The Virat Kohli-led India had dominated the ODI rubber and clinched the trophy with 4-1 verdict. The hosts were expected to win it easy in the T20Is too but that has not happened.

After claiming the rain-hit opening contest in Ranchi, India were thrashed by eight wickets in Guwahati.

Now with the three-match rubber level at 1-1, it is the final encounter and considering the uncertainty of the format, anybody can win.

In the second T20I at Guwahati's Barsapara Cricket Stadium, first, India's batting failed and bowlers too were off-colour in defence of a small total of 118.

Left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav had a forgettable outing with 0/46 in four overs. Despite this, he is likely to retain his place.

The current Indian team, when pushed to the wall, has the ability to bounce back. Kohli and his men have to show it at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium against a resurgent Australia, captained by David Warner.

India's batting again depends on Kohli. It was one of the rare sights in Guwahati that he was dismissed for a duck. However, he is too good a batsman to fail twice.

David Warner
Hyderabad is David Warner's home ground as he was captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL. Will he get the fans' support?Reuters

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will be wary of rookie paceman Jason Behrendorff, who took four wickets and derailed India's batting in the second T20I.

Veteran paceman Ashish Nehra who announced his retirement from international cricket today (October 12), may continue to warm the benches. Nehra will quit international cricket on November 1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be the new ball bowlers as in the previous matches.

A good batting performance is the key for India's success.

Pitch conditions

The 22-yard strip in Hyderabad is expected to favour the batsmen. For the venue, it will be T20I debut, having hosted Indian Premier League (IPL) matches regularly. This is Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) home ground and also for Warner, who is the captain of the franchise and now stand-in skipper for Australia.

Rain threat

There is a possibility of rain affecting the game. The weather department has predicted showers in the city till October 20.

With this game being the last of the tour, Australia will be hoping to end on a high.

Likely Playing XIs

India: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Australia: David Warner (captain), Aaron Finch, Moises Henriques, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim Paine (wicketkeeper), Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye.

Match starts 7 PM IST

Series results

1st T20I - India won by 9 wickets with three balls remaining (Duckworth/Lewis method)

2nd T20I: Australia won by 8 wickets with 27 balls to spare

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