India's Predicted Playing XI vs Australia, 3rd T20I: 26-Year-Old Star To Replace Kuldeep Yadav?

India aims to bounce back in the five-match series as they take on Australia in the third T20I in Hobart on Sunday. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side collapsed to a four-wicket defeat in the 2nd T20I in Melbourne, courtesy veteran pacer Josh Hazlewood's spell of 3/13. The visitors trail 1-0 in the series after the series-opener in Canberra was washed out last month. Hazlewood has been the nemesis for the Indian batters so far, both in ODIs and T20Is. However, they will breathe a little easier for the remaining games, with Hazlewood rested ahead of the upcoming Ashes.

As a result, the team management is unlikely to make a change in the batting department, that will be put to the test by a relatively less experienced bowling line-up.

Abhishek Sharma recovered from his poor outing in the washed out series-opener with a fluent 68 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The short boundaries at The Bellerive Oval, the venue for Sunday's game, could come in handy for Shubman Gill, who aims to find some form heading into the final two games of the series.

Barring Abhishek and pacer Harshit Rana, none of the Indian batters managed to touch double digits at the MCG.

However, the management is unlikely to disturb the batting lineup. The only change that might be made could see wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav getting replaced by Arshdeep Singh, considering the open area on one side will aid swing bowling.

Despite the extra bounce in Melbourne, India went in with three spinners and once again Arshdeep didn't find a place in the playing XI.

India (predicted XI): Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

(With PTI Inputs)

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