“It won’t be easy for them” - Former RCB cricketer’s massive claim ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 T20Is

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricketer AB De Villiers made a massive claim ahead of the T20I series between Australia and India. The Men in Blue will play five T20Is Down Under with the first game to be played on Wednesday, October 29, in Canberra.

The former RCB cricketer reckoned that it would be a tough series for India as they would be playing away from home. Notably, the visitors lost the three-match ODI series 1-2. They managed to win the last match, which could give the T20I side some momentum, De Villiers reflected.

"It's an away series for India so it won't be easy for them, as we saw in the ODIs. I know it is a different format but winning that last ODI, maybe that sort of just helped the morale of the T20 team to go, 'You know what, let's upset the Aussies in their backyard'. These are the best two teams in T20 at the moment," he said on his YouTube channel.

AB De Villiers credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) for India's domimance in T20Is. He expressed that the players gain exposure and experience by playing with and against the best cricketers' around the globe. The RCB legend also believed that Australia would have the edge being the home team in this series.

"Team India are really reaping the rewards of the IPL. I think it plays a big role.We see most of the players in the Indian squad feature in the IPL. That is where you get your exposure, your experience, and you get to know some of the best players in the world. I am expecting a highly competitive but also an emotional series. It is an away series for India so maybe the Aussies are slight favorites. But we know India get a lot of support in Australia. That is wonderful to see," he added.

The last time India played a T20I series in Australia in 2020/21, they won 2-1. Suryakumar Yadav and his troops have been in top form, having recently won the Asia Cup 2025. They will aim to maintain their impressive run in the T20I series as well.

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RCB legend on playing a specialized batter at number eight

In recent times, India have preferred batting depth across formats. They have gone with all-rounders or bowlers with the ability to score at the number eight position. This has often led to specialist bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav missing out to maintain the balance in the playing 11.

RCB legend AB De Villiers reflected that it was right to play a batting all-rounder or a bowling all-rounder at number eight.

"I would not play a specialized batter at number eight ever. It would always be an all-rounder. You can have a batting all-rounder and a bowling all-rounder. You can play around according to the opposition and the conditions. You can talk about this for ages," he said.

India are likely to go in with a similar approach and combination. It would be interesting to see if they prefer batting depth or an extra attacking option with the ball in Australia.

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Edited by Rishab Vm