India extended their 13-year T20I series winning streak in Australia by winning the last five-match contest 2-1. Only 4.5 overs could be bowled in the series finale at the Gabba on Saturday 8 November as heavy rain led to the abandonment of Brisbane. Shubman Gill (29*) and Abhishek Sharma (23*) were strong on a pitch that offered good batting bounce after Australia won the toss and elected to field.
AUS vs IND, 5th T20I: Highlighting | Scorecard
India clinched the five-match series 2-1 after losing two matches – the opener in Canberra and the final in Brisbane. India lost the one-off T20I against Australia in 2008 but have remained unbeaten in the bilateral T20I series Down Under since 2012, winning three times: 3-0 in 2016, 2-1 in 2020 and now 2-1 in 2025.
India reached 52 for 0 in 4.5 overs before the players and officials returned to the dressing room expecting thunderstorms and heavy showers. As expected, the rain intensified and lashed the stadium, much to the disappointment of the packed crowd at the iconic venue. Thousands of Indian fans came to watch their stars in action but left dejected when the match was officially called off at around 8:55 PM local time (4:25 PM IST).
Shubman Gill, who faced criticism for his strike rate earlier in the series, started the final with renewed urgency. He smashed four boundaries in one against left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis. Gill looked in great touch and found a rhythm in the very first over when he flicked a delivery from Dwarshuis to the leg boundary.
ABHISHEK WINS PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma struggled to find timing at the start of his innings. The left-arm opener was dropped twice – first on 4 Glenn Maxwell and again on 11 Dwarshuis. Just as he began to settle and find his range, the heavens opened, leading to an eventual abandonment of the game in Brisbane.
Gill looked completely in control and looked set for a big one, but the weather gods decided against it.
Abhishek didn’t look convincing on Saturday, but it was a one-off for the opening batsman, who picked up where he left off at the Asia Cup. With 168 runs, including a fifty, the SunRisers Hyderabad opener won the Player of the Series award.
“I was waiting for this tour. I was excited from the moment the series was confirmed. The pitches are batsmen friendly. I feel we could have scored more but we did well in the series,” said Abhishek.
MOST RUNS IN T20I SERIES – AUS VS IND
1. Abhishek Sharma – 163 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 161.38
2. Shubman Gill – 132 runs in 5 innings at 136.08
3. Tim David – 89 runs in 3 innings at 181.63
India took full advantage of the five-match series in Australia to experiment with their combinations and playing XIs. The visitors used 15 of the 16 players who were on tour, with only all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy not given a chance.
Rinku Singh, who warmed the benches in the first four matches, made it to the eleven, but did not get to bat due to rain.
In the bowling department, Varun Charkravarthy (five wickets) shone for India, finding his rhythm on the Australian pitches. Arshdeep Singh, who played only two matches, was also one of the pick of the bowlers with four wickets.
India’s next T20I assignment will be against the visiting South African side in December. The five T20Is will be played between December 9 and 19 in Cuttack, Mullanpur, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
November 8, 2025
