IND v AUS, 1st T20I: Krunal, Khaleel in final 12; no place for Umesh, Pandey

It will be for the time when India play a T20I against Australia without Dhoni in the playing XI

India, on Tuesday, announced a 12-member squad for the first T20I against Australia, scheduled to be played at the Gabba, Brisbane on November 21. The team features a bunch of youngsters who have proved their mettle in the recent tournaments.

Young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has found a place in the final 12 alongside regular speedsters Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. On the other hand, both the wrist-spinners – Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal – have been named on the list along with Krunal Pandya, who will be playing just the second international and first overseas series for India.

With Dhoni missing out from the T20I squad for this series, it will witness the first instance when India play a T20I against Australia without Dhoni in the playing XI. In his absence, Rishabh Pant has been named as the wicketkeeper while Dinesh Karthik also finds a spot in the squad.

Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar are the players who have been benched for the Brisbane T20I.

Here's the shortlisted 12 for the 1st T20I:

Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal

We've announced our 12 for the 1st T20I against Australia at The Gabba #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/c6boLtieGf

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 20, 2018

Earlier today, the trophy of the T20I series was revealed. Both the skippers – Virat Kohli and Aaron Finch – posed for a photo with the trophy held in their hands. The BCCI took to their official social media handle to share the same.

Here's the post:

All set! Time for an exciting contest to begin #TeamIndia🏆😎👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/wp4DzClCXD

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 20, 2018

The men in blue are currently in a red-hot form while the Aussies will miss Steve Smith and David Warner and their absence is the biggest concern for the side which has been terribly struggling right after their ousting.

The touring side has won its previous seven T20I series dating back to November 2017, and its last defeat in the format was against West Indies in July last year. Not to mention, on their last visit here, the Men in Blue won the T20I series 3-0. So, they will be riding high on a wave of confidence and eager to make an early mark on this trip.