BKT Tyres Men’s T20I Series – Australia v India

October 29: First T20I v India, Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7:15pm AEDT

October 31: Second T20I v India, MCG, Melbourne, 7:15pm AEDT

November 2: Third T20I v India, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7:15pm AEDT

November 6: Fourth T20I v India, Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast, 7:15pm AEDT

November 8: Fifth T20I v India, The Gabba, Brisbane, 7:15pm AEDT

How to follow:

Live scores: Match Centre

Television: Kayo Sports and Foxtel

Radio: ABC Radio, Triple M and SEN Radio. New this summer, the CA Live app has teamed up with NRMA Insurance so you can listen to radio streams in real-time with no delay to live play using zero-latency technology. Cricket Radio (both standard and real-time) is available anywhere in Australia in the CA Live match centre, however, some audio streams may be exclusive to fans attending a match. Find out more here

Tickets: The inside word is there will be a late release of tickets for the MCG this week after the initial public allocation was snapped up. No public tickets remain for the opening game in Canberra, and there are limited tickets available for the games in Hobart, the Gold Coast and Brisbane

Officials: Sam Nogajski (on-field games 1, 3; third game 2), Wayne Knights (on-field games 1, 2), Phil Gillespie (on-field games 3, 4; third games 1, 5), Shawn Craig (on-field games 2, 5; third games 3, 4), Rod Tucker (on-field games 4, 5).

How else can I follow?

Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app is the place to go for all the news, highlights and reactions following each of the T20 matches. The Unplayable Podcast will also be tracking the series, with interviews and updates from on the ground.

Listen and subscribe below, or find the show on all podcast platforms: 

The squads

Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott (games 1-3), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (games 3-5), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (games 4-5), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (games 1-2), Ben McDermott (standby player), Glenn Maxwell (games 3-5), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis

Australia’s squad is something of a moveable feast with Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott both only available for the early parts of the series before they head off for Sheffield Shield duties with one eye on the Ashes.

Cameron Green is not playing in the series at all due to his Test preparations as well, while Pat Cummins is out with a back injury. Adam Zampa is set to miss the series due to paternity leave. 

Glenn Maxwell, whose broken wrist is on the mend, leads the mid-series reinforcements along with Ben Dwarshuis (also returning from injury) while Mahli Beardman is in line to make his international debut. 

Josh Inglis has recovered from a calf injury and is expected to take the gloves, though back-up keeper Josh Philippe holds his spot in the squad, while Matthew Kuhnemann and Tanveer Sangha will take the spin load in Zampa’s absence.

Matthew Short remains in the squad despite undergoing surgery on Sunday in Sydney, but Ben McDermott has been called in as cover while he recovers. It is hoped Short could feature later in the series.

Marcus Stoinis and Tim David are both back after that pair did not play in the recent ODI series.

India T20 squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, 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

Jasprit Bumrah is the headline act after he missed the recent ODI series. The star paceman will play in Australia for the first time since his incredible Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour last summer.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s inclusion at the expense of the injured Hardik Pandya is the only change from the India squad that won the Asia Cup last month.

Suryakumar Yadav takes the captaincy reins from Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, who remains in the side as vice-captain.

Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Varun Chakaravarthy are not household names in Australia but are among an emerging crop of Indian T20 superstars.

Head-to-head

India have the wood over Australia in T20Is having won all but one of their past eight games in the format dating back to September 2022.

The most notable of those meetings was the most recent, last year’s Super Sixes at the World Cup in St Lucia that knocked Mitch Marsh’s side out of the World Cup.

India also have a strong T20I record in Australia, who have never won a series consisting of more than one game in the format on these shores against them.

Rapid stats

India have won their past three bilateral multi-game men’s T20I series against Australia including a 2-1 win in their last series in Australia (December 2020); they were winless in their previous three series against Australia (D2 L1).
Australia are unbeaten in their last eight bilateral multi-game men’s T20I series (W7 D1), their longest unbeaten streak in the format. They have also won their last four series which is their joint-longest winning streak.
India are unbeaten in their last nine bilateral multi-game men’s T20I series including winning their last six in a row. Only once before have they won more consecutive series.
India have won seven of their past eight men’s T20Is against Australia including their last three in a row.
Australia batters have collectively scored at 10.1 runs per over in men’s T20Is since the start of 2025, the highest rate of any Test playing country in any calendar year (min. 3 matches played); India’s rate of 9.2 runs per over is the fourth highest of any Test playing country this year.
India spinners have a collective bowling average of 14.7 in men’s T20Is since the start of 2025, better than any other Test playing country. Australia batters have a collective strike rate of 157.9 against spinners, the highest of any Test playing country.
Abhishek Sharma has scored at a strike rate of 214.7 in the powerplay overs of men’s T20Is since the start of 2025, the highest of any player from a Test playing country (min. 35 balls faced). He has scored 380 runs in this period this year, the most of any player from a Test playing country.
Mitchell Marsh has scored 251 runs at an average of 125.5 in his last four men’s T20Is including a career high score of 103no in his most recent match against New Zealand.

Players to watch 

Tim David: This man is one of Australia’s most dominant cricketers, yet it feels as if the country is yet to fully grasp the depth of his talent. In T20Is this year, David is averaging more than 60 with a strike-rate above 200. They are extraordinary numbers and it feels like another explosive series against the Aussies’ biggest white-ball rivals could vault him into national recognition. Watch the right-hander closely against India’s army of talented spin bowlers; if he can get on top of them, he is in for a big series.

David turns Goliath with phenomenal 37-ball century

Abhishek Sharma: Any batter who can go blow-for-blow with Travis Head is worth the price of admission. The devastating Head-Abhishek opening combination for Sunrisers Hyderabad earnt the cute portmanteau ‘Travishek’ under the leadership of coach Dan Vettori and captain Pat Cummins. The left-hander from Punjab has blossomed into one of T20 cricket’s most feared batters after emerigng as an IPL star, earning player-of-the-tournament honours at the recent Asia Cup after spanking 314 runs from just seven hits. How he handles the extra bounce of Australian pitches will be a fascinating watch on his maiden trip Down Under.

Form guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, T: tie, N: no result   

Australia: WWWWWLWWNW

A lost to South Africa in the Top End series earlier this year has been the only recent blip for Australia’s barnstorming T20I side having accounted for West Indies and New Zealand in away series during their successful stint.

India WTWWWWWWWL

India’s equally strong spell includes their uneaten run through the Asia Cup, with their last defeat coming at home to England in January.