India captain Virat Kohli, on Friday, picked Sanju Samson in the Playing XI against Australia in the first T20I at the Manuka Oval.

Samson, who had a good start to Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 with the Rajasthan Royals, struggled for form as the tournament progressed.

Although the Kerala batsman dons the wicketkeeping gloves for his state and IPL side, KL Rahul will be behind the stumps during the first T20I.

This will be the 26-year-old's fifth T20I, his highest score of 19 came against Zimbabwe way back in 2015. In IPL 2020, Samson played 14 matches and scored 375 runs, striking at 158.89.