The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia.
Middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav has been retained as skipper in the format despite his poor outings this year, including the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025.
India will begin the upcoming tour of Australia with a three-match ODI series starting on October 19. Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney will host the matches. The limited-overs action will continue with a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8.
The matches are being closely viewed as key preparation for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, which is just months away. Both teams will use the series to fine-tune their squads and strategies ahead of the global tournament.
BCCI Announces T20I Squad For Australia Tour
Suryakumar Yadav has been named as captain for the T20I series against Australia, with Shubman Gill continuing as vice-captain. All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who missed the Asia Cup final due to a quadriceps injury, has been given rest, and Nitish Kumar Reddy has been included in the squad.
“He (Hardik) won’t be fit for the Australia series due to the injury he picked ahead of the final. He will undergo rehab at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) and only then we’ll know,” chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, said.
The Men in Blue have made just one change to the squad that lifted the 2025 Asia Cup, adding spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar.
The spin department now features Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel, and Sundar. Jasprit Bumrah will spearhead the pace attack with support from Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, while Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy provide additional balance as all-rounders.
India’s Squad For Australia T20I Series
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
India And Australa Set to Meet for the First Time Since T20 World Cup 2024
India and Australia will face each other for the first time since the 2024 T20 World Cup clash in Gros Islet, where the Men in Blue secured a 24-run win. They last played a bilateral series in late 2023 on Indian soil, with the hosts dominating 4-1.
The Men in Blue also enjoyed success on their last T20I tour of Australia in 2020, sealing a 2-1 series victory. They have been nearly unstoppable in the shortest format since the beginning of 2024.
Suryakumar Yadav became full-time captain after Rohit Sharma stepped away from T20Is. The team has won all six bilateral series they’ve played. They secured the Asia Cup 2025 without losing a single game.
Overall, India have won 35 of their 38 T20Is in this period, with their only defeats coming against Zimbabwe, South Africa, and England. They have established themselves as the most consistent T20I side in world cricket.