IND v AUS 2020: India's ideal XI for the 3rd T20I in Sydney

Team India is on the brink of a significant feat for various reasons. One more win on Tuesday will make them the first team to whitewash the Australian side twice in the bilateral T20I series.

India is also on a 10-match winning streak in T20I cricket. This impressive streak started on 11th December 2019, when they defeated West Indies in the 3rd T20I of the series.

Later, India won by 2-0 against the Sri Lankan team at home in January this year. Then they whitewashed the Kiwis side (5-0) during their tour to New Zealand. Currently, India has an unassailable 2-0 in the 3-match series.

Team India takes on Australia in the final T20I of this year on Tuesday. The visitors' morale is high. Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja delivered outstanding performances in the first T20I. Likewise, in the second T20I on Sunday, Hardik Pandya and Natarajan starred with the bat and ball respectively to ensure a series victory for team India.

Hardik Pandya is all praise for @Natarajan_91 👌👌#TeamIndia | @hardikpandya7 | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/NX0nofFZZm

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 6, 2020

In just his second T20I match, Natarajan proved his mettle in testing situations. He stayed calm under pressure and ended with figures of 2-20 after four overs. When bowlers around him went for runs, he kept things tight whenever Kohli summoned him.

Usually, top-order contributions are pivotal in any steep chase. India got those on Sunday from Rahul, Dhawan, and Kohli, who set the stage up for finishers. In the company with Iyer, Hardik Pandya showed no mercy as he marmalized every ball that was in his zone.

After witnessing his finishing prowess, fans are now thinking Pandya is filling the void left by MS Dhoni.

India didn't feel the absence of Rohit Sharma at the top of the order as KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan provided the team with a blistering start in the chase on Sunday. It is a good sign that India is not dependent on individuals' absence. The Mumbai Indians duo Rohit Sharma and Bumrah did not play both the games, but still, India won those games convincingly. Rahul has been in marvelous form in T20Is this year. Indian vice-captain will be hoping to cap off the year with another significant performance on Tuesday.

Sanju Samson should not be dropped for this game

Ideally, the team management should avoid change. The team has performed well as a unit in both games, so they should stick to the winning combination and give more opportunities to talented players like Samson and Thakur. If Manish Pandey is fit, Virat Kohli might look to give him a chance in place of Samson. Sanju Samson, on many occasions, has shown his potential but failed to perform consistently. The team management has to give him a longer rope to settle in the side, and in the end, that move can pay them huge dividends while playing in ICC tournaments.

On the bowling front, the team management will not make any changes as the bowling unit has been performing decently in recent times. As India claimed the series already, there is no need to include lead pacers Bumrah and Shami in the XI.

On the bowling front, the team management will not make any changes as the bowling unit has been performing decently in recent times. As India claimed the series already, there is no need to include lead pacers Bumrah and Shami in the XI. India will, in all likelihood, play with the same XI for the upcoming clash as there is no compelling need to change the current winning combination. They will look for a clean sweep on Tuesday as it will give them some much-needed positive energy boost going into the grueling 4-match Test series.

Indian Team Ideal XI: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, T Natarajan