3 major selection questions for India to address ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 1st T20I ft. Kuldeep Yadav 

The new-look Team India have their toughest assignment so far lined up ahead in the form of a five-match away series against Australia. The Men in Blue will be on the lookout to continue their promising run to the 2026 T20 World Cup, especially on the back of an unbeaten 2025 Asia Cup campaign recently.

It need not be said that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will have to be at their absolute best to topple an Australian side that have only lost twice since a poor 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. While the selection committee have more or less retained the same core that won the Asia Cup, Team India will have various challenges to maneuver in terms of selection and beyond.

The five-match affair will begin with the series opener in Canberra on Wednesday, October 29. On that note, let us take a look at the three major selection questions for India to address ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 1st T20I.

#1 Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakaravarthy, or both?

Team India have prioritized having 12 overs of solid spin bowling with the trio of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy. The team could proceed with this formula without any hesitation in subcontinent conditions, which is where they have primarily played all of their short-format cricket in recent times.

India played with only one frontline seamer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is certainly not a feasible option in Australian conditions. So, it is highly likely that one of the frontline spinners may well have to be sacrificed, which leads to a quite difficult choice.

On one corner, there is the No. 1-ranked T20I bowler in the world, whereas the other corner boasts a rare and accomplished left-arm wrist spinner. All signs indicate that this is a case of either/or, unless a radical left-field team combination is chosen where both mark their presence in the playing XI.

Team India have to come to a decision as to who will complement Axar Patel the best in the spin bowling department. With Chakaravarthy, they will get an additional option in the powerplay, the ever-obvious mystery factor, and an overall defensive option that could just put the brakes on this explosive Australian batting unit. Kuldeep, on the other hand, is a bona fide wicket-taking option who also has a brilliant record in T20Is in Australia.

Should India entrust Harshit Rana as an option at No.8, and be satisfied with only two frontline seamers in total, then there is a chance for both these spinners to feature. However, that particular option is a long shot as the visitors would ideally want both Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh to feature in such conditions.

A pace trio of Bumrah, Rana, and a seam all-rounder, just for the sake of accommodating both spinners does not make sense for such conditions.

#2 Who will be the first choice all-rounder in Hardik Pandya's absence?

A seam-bowling all-rounder in Australia is almost always a must. Team India had to improvise during the ODI series by fast-tracking Nitish Kumar Reddy following Hardik Pandya's injury in the 2025 Asia Cup. On that occasion, India did not really have options to choose from.

But with Shivam Dube included in the T20I setup, India now have the luxury of variety. It is yet to be known whether Nitish Kumar Reddy has recovered from his left quadriceps injury that ruled him out of the third ODI, but if he is available, it presents a solid selection battle between him and Shivam Dube.

Both the pace bowling all-rounders can boost the batting setup with their affinity to power-hitting, and they can be the third or the fourth seamer in the bowling setup, depending on the eventual combination. Both Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy have improved on the bowling front, courtesy of recent overs under their belt.

Since India have their top-six locked and loaded, the next two spots are likely to go towards the all-rounders for balance and depth. This particular line of thinking also brings Washington Sundar into the picture since he has been consistently used to resolve this particular issue.

#3 Batting Depth vs Frontline Bowlers

India were adamant about playing three all-rounders in the lower-middle order throughout the ODI series, a trend which was on show during the Asia Cup as well. With Axar Patel locked in as one of them, two of the aforementioned three all-rounders could make it to the playing XI, to help them get the batting depth as well as the additional bowling option. However, this leaves room for only three specialist bowlers to make up the tail.

Playing three proper all-rounders in this setup, that too without Hardik Pandya, might prove to be overkill. As a result, India may just draw the line in the middle this time, and not overly lean towards the all-rounders as they have done in the past.

Given that there are not many overs to bat through, India may well entrust Harshit Rana at No.8, giving them room to play three more frontline bowlers, which may well be two pacers and a spinner to round up the playing XI well.

This particular combination gives India a solid batting option at No.8, which they desire, six bowling options, including two spinners, three frontline options, alongwith a seam bowling all-rounder.

But on the other hand, if India are satisfied with seven batting options, and can live with a long tail, then they can go overboard with specialist bowlers. If India lean on their specialist bowlers, with their all-rounders covering the No.6 and No.7 slots, then both frontline spinners and frontline pacers can feature.

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Edited by Gokul Nair