The eagerly awaited Australia tour of India is set to kick off this Thursday with a five-match T20I series. The first clash will unfold at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, with the action scheduled to commence at 7:00 PM IST.

Ahead of the T20I series, Suryakumar Yadav has been named the captain of the Indian squad for the five-match showdown. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the vice-captain for the series against the newly-crowned ODI champions. On the Australian side, Matthew Wade will be at the helm, leading the team in the T20I format.

Australia, having just concluded their World Cup campaign, will be affording rest to several players who participated in the mega event. Matthew Wade, standing in for the absent Pat Cummins, discussed the team's decision to give players a breather after a hectic campaign.

Wade also mentioned that Travis Head might sit out the series opener, emphasizing that the team won't be pressuring the southpaw. Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie, and Jason Behrendorff are among the players likely to take the field on Thursday in Vizag.

India boasts an impressive track record against Australia in T20Is, having clashed in 26 encounters. The Men in Blue have emerged victorious in 15 matches, while the Aussies have claimed 10 wins. There have been no tied encounters, with only one match producing no result.

India squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (last two matches only)

Australia squad:
Matthew Wade (c), Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa