Canberra, Oct 29 (UNI) Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the first T20I at the Manuka Oval today, setting the stage for a high-voltage clash between the world’s top-ranked T20 side and the reigning ODI world champions.
Marsh, known for his preference to chase, made it 18 out of 18 tosses where he has chosen to field first in T20 internationals. “It’s a good surface. Canberra always provides a great pitch, a beautiful ground, and a stellar crowd. Both teams play with a lot of power, and we’re excited for the contest,” Marsh said.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav, standing in for Rohit Sharma, admitted he would have preferred to bat first. “We were looking to bat first. It looks like a good wicket and might get slower in the second innings. The boys know their roles and responsibilities well, and we’re just looking to enjoy our game,” Suryakumar said.
He confirmed that Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, and Nitish Kumar Reddy missed out on the playing XI, though he termed it a “good headache” to have such bench strength.
In a setback for India, Nitish Kumar Reddy was officially ruled out of the first three T20Is. The all-rounder, recovering from a left quadriceps injury sustained during the Adelaide ODI, complained of neck spasms that have delayed his recovery. The BCCI Medical Team continues to monitor his progress.
Zaheer Khan, speaking ahead of the match, said Suryakumar will “relish Australian conditions” as a chance to regain his touch before the World Cup, while Suryakumar confirmed Shreyas Iyer is “stable and talking to the team over the phone” following his recent injury.
The atmosphere in Canberra was brisk and cool, but the fans gathered in large numbers as both sides fine-tune their combinations ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
India (Playing XI) Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia (Playing XI) Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
Australia opt to bowl in First T20I
