India vs Australia 2025 Both teams are best playing 11th for the T20 series

With Hardik Pandya ruled out, find out that the upcoming T20 series between India and Australia 2025 is likely to be the best 11 for both teams.

If we talk about the two most dangerous T20 teams in the world right now, it has to be India and Australia. Both teams are filled with T20 superstars, and a clash between these two teams will not only provide an adrenaline rush but also excitement on an epic level. So after a less challenging Asia Cup 2025 and India vs West Indies Test series, fans are eagerly awaiting India’s Tour of Australia 2025.

Team India’s Australian tour will begin just after the India vs West Indies Test series, from October 19. The tour starts with the three-match ODI series, but the excitement will be of epic proportions when the five-match T20 series begins. Team India has already announced the T20 squad and Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the team with Shubman Gill as his deputy. Meanwhile, the Australian team will be led by Mitchell Marsh in both formats.

The five-match T20 series will act as an important preparation for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. There is no better team for India than Australia to test their strength, and the series happens to come at the right time when Team India is peaking in all directions. But with Hardik Pandya missing, who is the likely 11th player for Team India in the T20 series? Let’s analyze the squads of both teams and discover the strongest possible players 11 for the India vs Australia 2025 T20 series.

India vs Australia 2025 Official T20 squad for Indian team

Batters

• Rinu Singh
• Shubman Gill
• Suryakumar Yadav (c)
• Sure

World Cups

• Jitesh Sharma
• Sanja Samson

All-rounders

• Abhishek Sharma
• Axar Patel
• Nitish Reddy
• Shivam Dubey
• Washington Sundar

Bowlers

• Arshdeep Singh
• Harshit Rana
• jasprit bumrah
• Kuldeep Yadav
• Varun chakravarthy

If we look at the current Indian T20 squad, it is almost identical to the team selected for the 2025 Asia Cup – barring two key changes. While Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the T20 series due to injury, Team India has opted for Nitish Reddy in his place. Since the T20 series will have a total of five matches, India have also selected Washington Sundar as the 16th member due to his all-round capabilities.

While the addition of Sundar may not make much difference to this Indian team, the absence of Hardik Pandya could drastically affect the team dynamics. Hardik, as we know, was an integral member of the team and contributed equally in all three departments. With Hardik not there, India could miss the crucial 3-4 overs, which Hardik bowls in the powerplay and in the death overs. But who will take his place on the team?

Now, the ideal like-for-like replacement for Haridk is undoubtedly Nitish Reddy as Shivam Dube will make the playing 11 as the first-choice All-rounder anyway. Nitish may not be as fast as Hardik, but he, Dube and Abhishek can contribute four overs, while Axar, Kuldeep, Bumrah and Varun contribute the remaining 16 overs. Axar’s role becomes extremely crucial here as he was not used much as a bowler during the 2025 Asia Cup.

India vs Australia 2025 T20 series probably the best 11 for the Indian team

1. Shubman Gill
2. Abhishek Sharma
3. Suryakumar Yadav (c)
4. Sure
5. Sanju Samson (wk)
6. Shivam Dubey
7. Axar Patel
8. Nitish Reddy
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. jasprit bumrah
11. Varun chakravarthy

So this is what the strongest playing 11 for Team India looks like. Overall, if India follow the same approach as in the Asia Cup 2025, they will have all-rounders in the team with batting up to 8. The bowling will once again feature only three primary bowlers – Bumrah, Varun and Kuldeep. So expecting eight overs from all-rounders without Hardik can be a defensive strategy. If India actually wants to compete with Australia, having Arshdeep instead of Nitish will be a good strategy.

India vs Aus 2025 Official squad for the Australian team

Batters

• Matthew Short
• Mitchell Owen
• Tim David
• Travis Head

World Cups

All-rounders

• Marcus Stoinis
• Mitchell Marsh

Bowlers

• Adam Zampa
• Ben Dwarshuis
• Josh Hazlewood
• Matthew Kuhnemann
• Nathan Ellis
• Sean Abbott
• Xavier Bartlett

Talking about the Australian team, they have selected only 14 players for the 1st and 2nd T20Is. The team will be without first-choice players Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins. Without these two, the team will be dependent on Mitchell Owen and Ben Dwarshuis, among others. The team will rely on players like Head, Marsh, Inglis, Zampa and Hazlewood. Overall, Australia still has a solid squad and could have an uphill battle against the Indian team even without some of their star players missing.

India vs Aus 2025 T20 series probably the best 11 for Australia

1. Travis Head
2. Mitchell Swamp (c)
3. Matthew Short
4. Josh Inglis (wk)
5. Marcus Stoinis
6. Tim David
7. Mitchell Owen
8. Adam Zampa
9. Ben Dwarshuis
10. Josh Hazlewood
11. Nathan Ellis

India vs Australia 2025 T20 Series Schedule

• 1st T20I, October 29, 2025 @ Canberra
• 2nd T20I, October 31, 2025 @ Melbourne
• 3rd T20I, November 2, 2025 @ Hobart
• 4th T20I, November 6, 2025 @ Gold Coast
• 5th T20I, November 8, 2025 @ Brisbane

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