3 things to look forward to in the 5th T20I between India and Australia

The series might already be decided, but the fifth T20I between India and Australia promises to be an exciting encounter.

The four matches so far have been entertaining high-scoring contests that have witnessed several notable performances, including sensational centuries from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Glenn Maxwell.

The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which will host the dead-rubber clash, is another venue that is known to be a batting paradise. Owing to the short boundaries and true surface, batters are bound to enjoy the favorable conditions.

There are plenty of storylines revolving around the fifth T20I, and not just ones that concern the batters. With a tour of South Africa on the horizon for the hosts and redemption in the visitors' sights, another high-octane clash could be on the cards.

Here are three things to look forward to in the fifth T20I between India and Australia.

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#3 Will India finally use a sixth bowler?

Yashasvi Jaiswal needs to roll his arm over soon

This is a piece of criticism that has been leveled at India, and particularly Suryakumar Yadav, throughout the series. Despite the matches being high-scoring, the stand-in skipper has refused to turn to a sixth bowler.

Tilak Varma was the best option in the first three matches, while Yashasvi Jaiswal is another batter who can roll his arm over. However, Suryakumar has decided to keep faith in his five frontline bowlers, who have often been expensive.

India have often struggled to find the right balance in the white-ball formats, and their refusal to experiment with their bowling options in such assignments has been one of the reasons for the same. With the series already in the bag, there's no reason why the hosts can't throw caution to the wind and toss the ball to either Tilak (if he plays) or Jaiswal.

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#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be in the spotlight on Sunday

India's openers will want to finish the series on a high

Jaiswal will be in the spotlight when it comes to his primary skill as well. He has gotten India off to a few flying starts in the series, but he is yet to stamp his authority with a score well above 50.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, meanwhile, hasn't done enough to silence his critics, barring his incredible century that unfortunately ended in a losing cause. The 26-year-old will want to cap off what could be a breakthrough series with another sizzling display.

Both Gaikwad and Jaiswal are part of India's T20I squad for the upcoming South Africa tour. With Shubman Gill returning to take his place at the top of the order, the duo will want to further their respective cases to be his opening partner.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are hovering around the shortest-format side without much clarity regarding their future, will also be watching the duo's displays closely.

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#1 How will India handle the workloads of their South Africa-bound players?

Axar Patel isn't in the squad for the South Africa T20Is

Axar Patel, Shivam Dube and Avesh Khan are among those who haven't been named in India's T20I squad to tour South Africa later this month. Meanwhile, plenty of fringe players, including Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma and Washington Sundar, have been picked.

How will India approach the final clash against Australia? Will they look to hand Dube a chance, given that he has sat out the entire series and won't be on the plane to South Africa? Will they continue to play Axar even though he won't be in the mix against the Proteas?

The Men in Blue have plenty of decisions to make in the middle order, and how they go about that will give a clear indication of the road they intend to take in the future. The 2024 T20 World Cup isn't far away, and every move needs to be scrutinized.