India won the Australia series, 2-1.
India continued their unbeaten T20I series streak, with a 2-1 win in Australia. The first and last clashes of the five-match series were affected by rain, but Suryakumar Yadav & Co. sealed two out of the three matches played. With the T20 World Cup 2026 in sight, India would be looking to seal their winning combinations.
Here are 4 takeaways from the Australia vs India series, keeping the T20 World Cup 2026 prospects in mind.
Except for the 3rd T20I in Hobart, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India flying starts — a pattern continued from the Asia Cup 2025. The left and right combination adds to the success rate, as both are clean strikers of the ball. Both the Punjab players are power-hitters, and share a great camaraderie as they have been playing together since their U-12 days. Abhishek is also the top scorer of the series with 163 runs and bagged the Player of the Tournament award. He is followed by Gill with 132 runs.
During the post-series conference, captain Surya put a fitting label on the opening duo.
“They both are looking to match each other’s strike rates. It’s a combination of fire and fire,” Suryakumar Yadav said.
During the Asia Cup, Arshdeep Singh was mostly a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah in lieu of the latter’s workload management. But the Australia tour proved how important it is for both pacers to start together. Unignorable stats suggest that India has won all 12 matches when the duo featured. In this tour, the Indian team lost the only match without this pair.
The pair has been formidable, sharing 43 wickets between them. Their success lies in contrasting strengths that complement each other. Bumrah’s precision and experience put pressure on the opposite, while Arshdeep’s left-arm swing helps him pick up the wickets from the other end. This makes them a lethal force in both the powerplay and death overs. If India are to win the home World Cup, they should continue to exploit this pace-bowling pair.
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The No.3 to 7 spots are still experimental, especially with the absence of Hardik Pandya throwing the team off-balance. The line-up includes Shivam Dube, SKY, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, and Washington Sundar, not necessarily in that order. The captain is going through a phase of lack of form, while Dube’s position isn’t fixed. Varma is well-trained to absorb pressure, while his companion Jitesh hasn’t anchored the innings in his limited opportunities. In two outings, the gloveman managed 25 runs, Verma made 34 in three innings, Axar has amassed 45 runs, and Sundar crossed the 60-run mark.
The hosts for the T20 World Cup 2026 will need a proven batter to hold the fort in critical situations. In case of a top-order collapse, like the one seen in the 2nd T20I, the 56-run partnership between Abhishek and Harshit Rana was the highest one from the match. The bowler added 35 runs, facing 33 balls. Hardik should return to the squad after his Asia Cup injury, but this playing XI needs someone to step up or risk losing their spot to someone more ideal like Rishabh Pant.
In his only outing in Melbourne, the wicketkeeper-batter scored two runs. Previously, in the Asia Cup, Sanju Samson made 132 runs with the help of a fifty. Doing a 2024 vs 2025 comparison, Samson’s average of 43+ from 12 innings has dropped to 18.50 in 10 innings. The strike rate follows suit from 180 to 121. Last year, the 30-year-old had also smashed three more centuries.
If the Indian contingent is to include Samson in the playing XI, he needs to retain his top-order position. But the No.3 spot already keeps juggling between Dube and Varma. India are to play 10 more T20Is against South Africa and New Zealand, before the marquee event in February 2026. If picked, Samson will have to make his case irrespective of the spot he comes out to bat at, if he were to keep his place in the team. In case Samson misses out from either of the squads, Jitesh may take over, while Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are also the other glovemen in preparation to perform at the big stage.
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