The ODI series might have been entertaining thanks to the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but it’s finally time for some serious action in India’s tour of Australia. The world number one and world number two face each other in the T20I format just ahead of the T20 World Cup and the five-match series is expected to have a big impact on the preparation of both sides, at least mentally.
This is the only T20I series India are playing outside of sub-continental conditions in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, so there are unlikely to be many combination changes after the series. But the winner of this 5-match series will surely take the bragging rights to the world tournament, which will be hosted by India in February and March next year.
World champions India have been exceptional under Suryakumar Yadav. A team that was already naturally aggressive under Rohit Sharma seems to have stepped it up a notch with the inclusion of explosive opener Abhishek Sharma and attack spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
Can India continue their thrashing approach against a high-quality opponent like Australia, who haven’t lost a single bilateral T20I in the last one year? That’s pretty much what we’ll find out in this next block of 5 games.
Abhishek Sharma’s Australian debut
Abhishek Sharma will undoubtedly be the focal point of this series. The young left-hander has skyrocketed in world cricket and is currently the best batsman in the world. His dominance was so one-sided that the latest ICC rankings saw him rank as the all-time leading T20I batsman with 931 points, surpassing the previous record held by Dawid Malan (919 points) during his brief rise in 2020-21.
Abhishek is participating in the exceptional Asia Cup 2025 where he was the top run-getter of the series. Can Abhishek handle the discipline of Australia’s fast bowling unit? Can he handle the bounce on the surface Down Under? This is basically what the selectors will be looking out for.
If Abhishek does well in Australia, don’t be surprised by calls for him to make the ODI side in the run-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Hardik Pandya – The Missing Link
One of India’s major problems in the T20 World Cup is the fact that Hardik Pandya has not been able to recover from the injury he faced in the Asia Cup. Playing the Super 4 match against Sri Lanka, Pandya bowled just one ball and walked off the field. He has not returned since. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Pandya needs more days to get back to full fitness. IND vs AUS 1st T20I Preview: How much will Hardik Pandya’s injury cost?
This puts India in a difficult situation.
Hardik Pandya was India’s second fast bowler, a specialist lower-order batsman and one of its best outfielders all at once. There is no other player in India who can drive the ball at 140km/h and then hit sixes at will in the second phase of the innings.
So, what are we going to do here? The other best options are Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube who cannot aim as well as Hardik Pandya. Still, Shivam Dube held his own against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final.
While captain Suryakumar Yadav said India will rely on their three-spinner combination, logic dictates that you should not reduce your bowling power against the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and Josh Inglis, who have the ability to take the game away at any time.
“The combination doesn’t change much according to the conditions. Because when we went to South Africa, we played with one fast bowler, one all-rounder and three spinners. We don’t look at the matches whether they are in Asia or non-Asia; we are betting on the World Cup,” Suryakumar Yadav said ahead of the 1st T20I.
Jasprit Bumrah’s return to Australia
Star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah returns to Australia for the first time since India’s ill-fated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bumrah captained 2 test matches in this series, winning one and losing the other. Things went so horribly wrong for India at their end that Bumrah, when offered the Test captaincy, turned it down before the start of the England series, saying he was worried about the workload.
It is also important to note that this is Jasprit Bumrah’s first bilateral T20I series since the T20 World Cup 2024. Although he played in the Asia Cup, it speaks volumes about the importance of the rivalry – that India are not playing around with the T20 World Cup build-up.
Australia and their injury problems
Australia’s preparations for the T20 World Cup have been hampered by multiple side injuries. Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins, three regulars in the line-up, are not part of the series which is expected to be of significance. In addition, Australia will be missing Adam Zampa for the start of the series also due to the birth of his second child.
Zampa’s absence has a huge impact for the Australians. Zampa was also on leave for the 1st ODI of the series and returned to win the Player of the Match award in the 2nd game in Adelaide. In Zampa’s absence, Australia drafted Tanveer Sangha, who last played a T20I in 2023. IND vs AUS, 1st T20I Preview: Zampa to miss series opener.
Team Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Tim David, Josh Inglis (w), Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Philippe, Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis.
AUS vs IND, 1st T20I: Pitch and Weather Report
Unseasonal rain in Australia has cooled temperatures in Canberra. Despite the late spring, India had to wear sweaters at practice on Tuesday. The weather is expected to remain on the cooler side with temperatures hovering around 8-10 degrees Celsius.
The Canberra course does not traditionally receive very high scores due to the large size of the course. Spinners generally play an important role in T20I preparations.
AUS vs IND, 1st T20I: Match details
Date: October 29, 2025
Time: 1:45 PM IST
Where: Manuka Oval
AUS vs IND, 1st T20I: Live Streaming Details
The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network. Live streaming will be available on JioStar app and website.
AUS vs IND, 1st T20I: Predicted Playing XI
Australia Probable XI: Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett/Sean Abbott, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood
India Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar/Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
October 29, 2025
Tune in
