The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
As Virat Kohli looks to make amends in Thursday's second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, one of his favourite hunting grounds, former India international Mohammed Kaif said that Virat did not appear to be in his batting zone.
The 35-year-old left-armer retires with 79 wickets from 65 T20Is, second on the all-time list for Australia, behind spinner Adam Zampa.
IMAGES from the fourth T20I between Australia and India played in Carrara, Gold Coast on Thursday
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
India captain Shubman Gill admitted that dropped catches and a total which was just adequate cost his side dearly as Australia clinched the ODI series with a disciplined all-round performance in Adelaide on Thursday.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
Australia will also welcome Matt Short back into the side at No.3, forming part of a refreshed middle order alongside Renshaw, Owen, Cooper Connolly, and wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, who replaces the injured Josh Inglis (calf).
While India left out Kuldeep Yadav for the second match in a row, Australia's leg-spinner Adam Zampa took a four-wicket haul and was named the man of the match.
Shubman Gill's form in the series is a concern for India as he has now gone six games without a half-century.
'Look, they (India) are a fantastic team, one which we have great respect for and I think five-match series are going to provide a lot of excitement for the fans that are coming to watch.'
Mitch Owen has been rewarded for his fine form in his first five Twenty20 internationals by being named in both of Australia's squads for short-format series against South Africa in the far north of the country next month.
Australia held their nerve in a tense chase, edging past India by two wickets to seal the series 2-0 despite a late fightback from the visitors on Thursday in Adelaide.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten century, while Virat Kohli returned to form with a fluent fifty as India cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the inconsequential third and final ODI against Australia.
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
Australia, who won the preceding T20 series between the sides, lost opener Travis Head and number three Marnus Labuschagne inside four overs.
Australia claimed a three-wicket victory over the West Indies in the fourth Twenty20 international on Saturday
Australia return home for a limited-overs series against South Africa, while the West Indies play Pakistan in three T20Is and three one-day internationals.
Australia have tried and tested five openers in the format since David Warner had his last dance after last year's Caribbean World Cup. Marsh remained tight-lipped about the appearance of the rest of the batting unit but confirmed there were discussions about Tim David's place.
Bavuma said his hamstring was 'feeling good' ahead of his return, and the South African skipper also confirmed he would bat at number three for the opening match of the three-game series behind openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram.
'There will be guys that get opportunities. We've obviously got a few guys missing for this series (for) a well-earned rest.'
Sunrisers Hyderabad have roped in all-rounder Harsh Dubey as a replacement for the injured left-hander Smaran Ravichandran.
Adam Zampa wants new heroes to emerge from the Australian squad at the Champions Trophy to cover the "big loss" of the team's champion pace trio.
Australia's historic pedigree in cricket's biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game's top table in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Friday.
'... when I'm not quite at my best and not feeling that great out there, is my ability to still contribute and take those big wickets.'
2016 champions SRH are banking on a power-packed batting line-up and a revamped bowling attack to end their nine-year title drought.
Leg spinner Adam Zampa was the most experienced bowler for the Aussies, having played 111 ODIs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, reeling from three consecutive defeats, will face a resurgent Gujarat Titans in their fifth IPL encounter on Sunday.
Despite a few flashes of brilliance in the field, LSG's missed opportunities proved costly in a game where the bat did most of the talking.
Young spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly will replace injured Matthew Short in the Australian squad for the knock-out stages of the ongoing Champions Trophy.
In the bowling rankings, Keshav Maharaj and Matt Henry have broken into the top five
Rising Pune Supergiants leg-spinner Adam Zampa, on Saturday, said that Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli was playing like a machine.
Indian batter Abhishek Sharma and bowler Varun Chakaravarthy retained their career-best number two positions in the latest ICC T20I rankings.
With recent matches indicating that chasing teams have fared slightly better, the toss-winning captain may opt to bowl first.
Starc's withdrawal comes after pace stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out due to injuries.
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
The Sunrisers are once again betting big on their power-packed batting line-up to deliver the goods in IPL 2025.
SRH's ultra-aggressive approach with the bat has backfired spectacularly as they have suffered four defeats in a row -- leaving them languishing at the bottom of the points table.
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