The Indian team kicks off their nearly-month long tour of Australa with the first T20 to be played at the Gabba at Brisbane on Wednesday and BCCI has announced the squad to play the series opener.
The one significant change for India ahead of this series is the return of skipper Virat Kohli, who was rested for the three-match contest against West Indies at home.
While there were no glaring surprises in the squad, Manish Pandey has once again been sidelined as the selectors continue to repose their trust in out of form KL Rahul.
Rahul's current form is nothing to write home about. He managed only 16, 26 not out and 17 against the West Indies in the recent T20I series.
In England, captain Kohli batted at number four, allowing Rahul to bat at number three in light of his stupendous form in the 2018 Indian Premier League.
It will be interesting to see what position he bats at in this upcoming series.
Krunal Pandya’s good showing against the Windies sees him make the cut and will play the all-rounder's role.
Among bowlers, Khaleel Ahmed keeps his place in the team and is third choice bowler along with strike bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
India squad for first T20: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma. Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul. Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Japrit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal.
