India have made one change to their playing XI for the fifth and final match of the T20I series in Australia, held at the Gabba, Brisbane on Saturday, November 8. The world champions left out world No.3 Tilak Varma to accommodate Rinka Singh in their line-up. Sanju Samson, the wicket-keeper batsman, continued to warm the bench after being left out after the first two matches of the five-match series.
Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first to level the series after India took an elusive 2-1 lead earlier in the week.
AUS vs IND 5th T20I Live Score
Rinku Singh last played for India in the Asia Cup final and Sunday’s encounter will be only his second appearance in nine months. Once he becomes a regular in the batting order, the left-hander will slot into the lower middle order and be tasked with finishing the games for India.
The visitors have been experimenting with their playing XI throughout the current series, looking to give opportunities to their core group while assessing their strengths and weaknesses ahead of next year’s upcoming T20 World Cup. Following this series, India is scheduled to play 10 more T20Is before the inaugural tournament, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March.
“I want to continue that. It’s always good to win bilateral matches, but knowing which player fits where and what their fitness is. The boys understand their roles, that’s what T20 cricket is all about,” captain Suryakumar said after Sunday’s draw.
15 PLAYERS USED
India used 15 of the 16 players named in the squad during the series, with Nitish Reddy the only cricketer yet to get an opportunity.
Tilak Varma, originally earmarked for the top four roles, has batted at No. 5 in two of the three T20Is he has played in this series. The hero of the Asian Cup final rested to make way for Rinka.
The rotation continued in the fourth T20I, which India won by 48 runs, with Shivam Dube promoted to No. 3. Sanju Samson also batted one-down in the second match before losing his place in the XI.
However, India remained consistent with their opening partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, even as the vice-captain faced criticism for his strike rate in several games.
IND vs AUS, 5th T20I – Playing XI
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh (for Tilak Varma), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
November 8, 2025
