Match facts
February 1, Stadium Australia, SydneyStart time 1935 (0835 GMT) : 02:05:pm at Indian Standard Time
Nobody is more desperate to
move on from the last six weeks than India's cricketers. Here is their perfect
opportunity to do so. The first T20 not only pits two very different sides
against each other, compared to those that played in the Tests, it also takes
India and Australia to an entirely new venue for international cricket: Stadium
Australia. The stadium, at Homebush in Sydney's west, was built for the 2000
Olympics and has a far greater capacity than the SCG. It will become the 19th
ground in the country to host international cricket.
Appropriately enough it will
host a new-look Australia team under the captaincy of debutant George Bailey.
The 40-year-old spinner Brad Hogg will make his comeback after a vintage
campaign from him in the Big Bash League, while the fast bowler James Faulkner
could be in line for his debut. David Warner and Shaun Marsh are the only men in
the squad who took part in the Tests against India.
The visitors have more of a
crossover from the Test series, but there has still been plenty of new blood
injected into the group. A 17-strong party has assembled for the T20s and the
triangular one-day series that follows, including relatively inexperienced men
like Rahul Sharma and Manoj Tiwary, but who will get the nod for the first match
remains a mystery. Both sides are also hoping to use the series to narrow down
their list of potential players for the World T20, to be held in Sri Lanka in
September.
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