Overview:
India will compete in five T20Is as the Men in Blue continue to prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup at home.
India announced their squad for the T20I series against Australia, with Hardik Pandya missing out. The all-rounder was injured during the Super 4 match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2025 and is recovering from the niggle. Nitish Kumar Reddy has taken his place, with Washington Sundar also getting a chance.
The team will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, with the new ODI captain, Shubman Gill, retained as vice-captain. Abhishek Sharma will open the innings with Gill. Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are the two wicket-keepers.
Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace attack along with Arshdeep Singh. He hasn’t been rested despite playing in the ongoing Test series against the West Indies.
India will compete in five T20Is as the Men in Blue continue to prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup at home.
Why was Hardik Pandya not selected?
Ajit Agarkar, the head of the selection committee, revealed that Hardik is recovering and will soon start his rehab at the Centre of Excellence.
“Hardik is not fit to play in Australia due to the injury he picked up in the Asia Cup. He will restart his rehab next week. This series is an opportunity for Nitish Kumar Reddy to step in,” Agarkar said.
Agarkar also spoke about Jasprit Bumrah’s workload, saying that he has been left out of the ODI squad to ensure that he gets proper rest.
“We have rested him from the ODI series, and we will continue to monitor his workload. Siraj also bowls a lot, so managing the fast bowlers is a priority,” he added.
India T20I squad for Australia tour
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vc), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.