There was no place for Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav in OParthiv Patel’s playing XI for the first T20I against Australia, scheduled to be played on October 29. The former India wicketkeeper-batsman picked Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy as the two spinners while Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh were the two pacers in his team.
They will be assisted by all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube.
Given his performance in the third ODI against Australia, Harshit looks set to feature in the first T20I of the series. The right-arm pacer took a four-fer in the previous game.
Parthiv ignored Kuldeep Yadav, who was India’s star performer in the 2025 Asia Cup. The mystery spinner scalped 17 wickets in 7 matches. No other bowler managed more than 10 wickets.
Kuldeep and Chakaravarthy are likely to compete for the second spinner’s slot as Axar looks a confirmed selection due to his all-round skills.
Nitish, who found a place in Parthiv’s final XI, is doubtful for the first game of the series. The all-rounder suffered a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI of the series and wasn’t available for the third ODI. He could make his return from the second T20I.
India are already without the services of Hardik Pandya. He suffered an injury during the Asia Cup and missed the all-important final. The star all-rounder wasn’t selected for the Australia tour. He is likely to get fit before the home series against South Africa.
The first T20I between India and Australia will be played at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Thursday. The fifth and final game of the series will take place on November 8.
Parthiv Patel’s playing XI for first T20I vs Australia: Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah