India and Australia will meet in the penultimate T20I of the five-match series on Thursday, November 6 at the Carrara Oval in Gold Coast. After playing at the traditional venues of Canberra, Melbourne and Hobart, India now move to the People’s First Stadium, which will host only its third T20I and the first since 2022.
The extended break between the third and fourth T20Is allowed India to arrive at the Gold Coast early and prepare for the challenge ahead. With the series tied at 1-1 after three games, both teams understand the importance of a win on Thursday, with the lead at stake.
India brought momentum into the contest after clinching their third T20I in Gold Coast, riding on bowling heroics from Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy and a crucial cameo with the bat from Washington Sundar.
As bowling coach Morne Morkel said on Wednesday, India are looking to mix things up and give opportunities to as many players as possible in the build-up to the T20 World Cup early next year. While winning the series remains a priority, the team’s management has not shied away from experimentation.
A few players like Sanju Samson and Arshdeep Singh have been substituted with confidence that they will remain firmly in the mix. The series in Australia provided an opportunity to test the bench and assess depth.
However, India have yet to gain the same level of confidence from one key batting position – that of the opener, occupied by vice-captain Shubman Gill.
Since returning to the T20I side, the Test and ODI captain has struggled to impress. In the ongoing series, Gill managed just 57 runs in three matches.
India broke through the fearsome opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Samson to put Gill on top in the T20Is. While his promotion to vice-captain seemed to make him an automatic selection, questions have been raised about the priority of his place in the T20I squad, especially given the options available for the opening role.
Former captain Kris Srikkanth questioned how Gill earned the captaincy in T20Is – a format in which he has scored just a fifty in the last two years – and went on to say that his inclusion affected the balance of the team and caused problems for the likes of Tilak Varma and Samson.
Gill was seen in an intense conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir during the training session on Wednesday. The 26-year-old will surely be eager to turn management’s support and trust into meaningful races sooner rather than later.
IND VS AUS: H2H IN T20Is
India and Australia have met 35 times, with the Asian giants winning 22 of those encounters.
The two teams will meet for the first time at Carrara Oval on the Gold Coast.
CARRARA OVAL PITCHING AND CONDITIONS
The pitch is a little unfamiliar at Carrara Oval, which is preparing to host a men’s T20I after three years. The boundaries are not as big as some other Australian grounds and with it being the start of the Australian summer there will be help for the bowlers and help for the batsmen.
The weather is expected to be bright and sunny throughout the match.
IND vs AUS, 4th T20I PREDICTED XI
India dropped Sanju Samson and Harshit Rana for the third T20I and gave opportunities to Jitesh Sharma and Arshdeep Singh.
The visitors could continue with the same XI, which also did not feature Kuldeep Yadav, who was released to prepare for the Test series in South Africa. Washington is expected to retain its spot after winning 49 of 23.
India could give opportunity to Nitish Reddy instead of Shivam Dube. The Hyderabad all-rounder has recovered from a left quadriceps injury sustained during the ODI series in Australia last month.
India predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Australia will be boosted by the return of Glenn Maxwell. Matt Short is likely to top the order in the absence of Travis Head, who has been released for the Ashes.
Australia will also be without their leading pacers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott. They have the option of Ben Dwarshius and Mahli Beardmann, the 20-year-old uncapped pacer.
Australia predicts XI: Mitch Marsh (capt), Matt Short, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Ben Dwarshius.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
November 6, 2025
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