India vs Australia, 1st T20I, India Predicted XI: Will Dinesh Karthik Be Preferred Over Rishabh Pant?

India and Australia face each other in a three-match T20I series, starting September 20. The first match is set to take place in Mohali while the rest two matches will take place in Nagpur (September 23) and Hyderabad (September 25). Besides looking to win the matches against each other, both sides will also use the series to find a settled playing XI ahead of the T20 World Cup that is slated to take place in Australia in October-November this year.

Talking about India, their batting department looks good. Meanwhile, their bowling is also more or less settled. It is certainly the pick between wicketkeepers Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik that will be the biggest dilemma for the selectors. The team management has given Karthik fair attention in the recent past but the lack of batting opportunities has kept the player's form still in doubt.

Come what may, Karthik has definitely become a big competitor of Pant and if any of the two fail in their performances from here, it is likely to make place for the other.

Here is what we think could be India's playing XI against Australia in the first T20I:

KL Rahul: The right-handed batter is failing to find rhythm post his return from injury in the Indian squad. He is lacking freedom in his stroke play and he must use the series against Australia to get back to his best.

Rohit Sharma: The captain has been in good batting form. Not many big scores have come in the recent past from his bat, but Rohit has looked extremely positive in his batting approach, something that has a lot of weightage in the T20 format.

Virat Kohli: The former India captain is finally back in his groove. After a sensational Asia Cup campaign on the individual front, Kohli should continue his good form in the