Australia vs India 1st T20I preview: Kohli's men eye strong start against weakened hosts

With the ball-tampering incident refusing to fade from memory, and with the likes of Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon out of the T20I side, the Aussie team appear a feeble shadow of its past self.

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There have not been many instances when Australia have not been favourites before a series at home. Even against some of the most formidable opponents of international cricket, the Aussies have been a force to reckon with in their own backyard. And yet, Team India would begin their long-drawn series Down Under as firm favourites ahead of Wednesday's opening T20I at Brisbane.

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recently said that the current tour could be India's best chance to register wins in Austalia. And most would agree - not so much because of the strengths of the Men in Blue but due to the weaknesses, the crisis and the injuries within the Aussie unit. The infamous ball-tampering incident in South Africa has plunged Aussie cricket into the depths of despair - one that it is struggling to get out of. There is no Steve Smith, no David Warner. And while just two men - however prolific and skilled - do not define what a team is capable of, the impact of their actions is still being felt by the national team.

The Australians were whitewashed by Pakistan in UAE recently and the hat-trick of T20I defeats was followed by yet another loss against a visiting South African side in the shortest format of the game. The team is currently placed fourth in the T20I rankings and is at risk of tumbling further down. That the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon are out of the T20I squad means that Wednesday could be a test by fire against Indian batsmen who swear by their attacking cricket in this format.

The Aussie batting too does not appear overtly threatening with captain Aaron Finch himself calling it 'fairly one-dimensional.' What he meant was that he sees his most - if not all - of his batsmen to be strong attackers but may not be able to build an innings when stability is required. The likes of Finch himself, along with Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell may have to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility even as India look to unleash their battery of hungry pacers.

Kohli may indeed rely on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah to create in-roads into the Aussie unit. The Gabba is likely to offer ripe conditions for both to showcase their talents but what would be interesting is to see how the skipper makes use of his spin options - assuming he would have spin options at all. The captain is also guarding himself against taking the Aussies too lightly. At a pre-match press conference, Kohli said that despite the absence of Smith and Warner, underestimating the Aussies would be a mistake he is unwilling to commit.

After all is said and done, the vital point to prove for the Indians would be their batting.

The Gabba track has always tested Indian batsmen courtesy the pace and bounce. Once again, the Aussies would be hoping to attack the 'Achilles Heel' of the Indian team by using pace and bounce to their advantage.

A lot is at stake for both teams this Wednesday. Getting the series off to a winning start could provide the right impetus for Kohli's India. For the Aussies, a much-needed win against the world's No. 2 T20I side could be just what the doctor ordered to repair wounds that just refuse to heal. This contest could well define the tone and tenor of the entire series going forward.

Teams (likely):

Australia: Aaron Finch,  D'Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ben McDermott, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, and Billy Stanlake

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (capt), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Khaleel Ahmed.

Match coverage begins from 1300hs (IST)