With World Cup in sight, India double down on all-rounders for Australia T20Is

With World Cup in sight, India double down on all-rounders for Australia T20Is (BCCI Photo)

Team India is set for a white-ball tour of Australia, where they will play three ODIs and five T20Is. Even though the format isn’t particularly relevant in this calendar year, the focus of spectators and cricket pundits will be on the ODI series—solely because it marks the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The batting stalwarts will rejoin the side for the first time since the Champions Trophy 2025.

While much of the attention will be on the ODI series due to the return of these two, the Indian team and management will be focusing on the T20I series. After winning the Asia Cup, the Men in Blue will be looking to make the most of the remaining bilateral series before the T20 World Cup next year. Five T20Is against Australia once again present an opportunity for the team to try different combinations and fine-tune preparations in the build-up to the mega event.

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Having recently won the Asia Cup — remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament — there was little scope for changes in the T20I team. There are only a couple of changes to the squad: one is an addition, the other a forced change. Washington Sundar, who was in the reserves for the Asia Cup, has been added to the squad for the Australia T20Is. With Hardik Pandya unavailable, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been recalled to the T20I setup as a like-for-like replacement.

Sundar’s inclusion makes sense as he imparts overspin and, with his height, can have an impact on Australia’s bouncy wickets. With bounce being a key factor Down Under, Varun Chakaravarthy could prove to be highly effective in the series. The ever-reliable Kuldeep Yadav is also part of the squad; he has the ability to turn the ball in any conditions.

Like Axar Patel, Sundar can bowl in the powerplay and is a safe fielder. He can also contribute with the bat. There’s no hiding the fact that the current team management values utility players, which is why they’ve included Nitish, despite his poor run in the IPL 2025. Alongside Shivam Dube, Nitish provides a seam-bowling option.

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Jasprit Bumrah will spearhead the pace-bowling attack, which includes Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana. All three frontline pacers have experience of bowling in Australian conditions.
Jitesh Sharma, who didn’t feature in a single match during the Asia Cup, retains his place in the squad.

It’s a spin-heavy squad with multiple all-round options. All bases appear to be covered. Pandya’s absence is a big loss, but India still have enough firepower to win another bilateral series. Suryakumar Yadav’s team looks set to apply the spin choke on the Aussies.