India's strongest playing XI for the T20I series vs Australia ft. Jitesh Sharma & Shubman Gill

Following a 2-1 defeat in the three-match ODI series, Team India will face off against Australia in five T20Is. The opening encounter will be contested on Wednesday, October 29 at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

The Men in Blue have picked a similar squad to the one they used in the 2025 Asia Cup. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side, with Shubman Gill serving as his deputy. Hardik Pandya's absence due to injury will be left, and India will have a real test on their hands if they are to beat the hosts.

India’s T20I squad for the Australia tour: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), 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.

On that note, here is India's strongest playing XI for the T20I series against Australia.

Openers: Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma

India v New Zealand: Final - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

Yashasvi Jaiswal continues to be left out of the T20I squad, meaning that there are no doubts over India's ideal opening combination. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will take first strike for the Men in Blue, with the former needing to turn around a poor run of form he endured during the Asia Cup. Gill is comfortable in Australian conditions and will hope that he can be among the runs.

Middle Order: Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk)

Asia Cup Cricket - Source: Getty

Tilak Varma has been in an excellent run of form in T20Is lately, although the start of his Asia Cup campaign wasn't very convincing. A return to the top four will serve the left-hander well.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav's returns have been unimpressive since the conclusion of the Indian Premier League. The Men in Blue will hope that their skipper turns it around.

Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy could be vying for one spot in the lineup. While it's hard to choose between the two, Dube could just be a better option despite concerns over whether he can counter the hard lengths bowled by the Aussie seamers. He was decent with the ball in the UAE, and his power should give him an edge over Reddy for now.

Sanju Samson looked completely out of place in the middle order, and replacing him with Jitesh Sharma could be a smart move. Jitesh hasn't dealt with short balls too well, even if he has made improvements on that front. But he is more suited to a middle-order role.

Axar Patel should also be picked ahead of Washington Sundar.

Lower Order: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav

India v Pakistan - Asia Cup Final - Source: Getty

India will be a bit short on pace-bowling resources if they don't play Harshit Rana as the third specialist quick, but Kuldeep Yadav might just have more to offer even in Australia. The hosts have a bunch of pace-hitters in their lineup, and someone like Kuldeep will give the team some X-factor through the middle overs.

Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are straightforward picks, as is Varun Chakaravarthy. India won't have much batting depth since the last four slots are occupied by bowlers, but don't have any real options on that front.

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Edited by Sai Krishna