3 clear indications from India's squad for the T20I series against Australia ft. Hardik Pandya's absence

The next edition of the T20 World Cup is only a few months away, and India are in the process of putting their final plans in place. They will get a great chance to do so when they face off against Australia in a five-match T20I series.

The BCCI announced the squad for the rubber before the ODI series commenced, and it was largely along expected lines. The Men in Blue will have some pressure on them despite being in excellent form in the format, having suffered a 2-1 defeat in the 50-over assignment.

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 are three clear indications from India's squad for the Australia T20I series.

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#3 The core of the team for the 2026 T20 World Cup seems finalized

India v Pakistan - Asia Cup Final - Source: Getty

India have picked a squad similar to the one they fielded in the 2025 Asia Cup, and that's despite the fact that the conditions in Australia will be totally different. The injured Hardik Pandya has been replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Washington Sundar has been added.

Given that the Men in Blue have left out the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Prasidh Krishna, it seems clear that their core team for the 2026 T20 World Cup is finalized. There are doubts over whether Shivam Dube, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh can be relied upon, but the selectors seem to have faith in them.

Without an Indian Premier League campaign to throw a spanner in the works before the T20 World Cup, India might just have arrived at their main men in charge of orchestrating a title defense already.

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#2 India are throwing their weight behind Shubman Gill, the opener

India v Pakistan - Asia Cup Final - Source: Getty

Jaiswal's absence is conspicuous. Gill wasn't in great form during the Asia Cup, with only one notable knock to his name. His overall T20I record doesn't make for pretty reading either.

The selectors have chosen to retain Gill as vice-captain, though, indicating that they are well and truly behind the idea of him being Abhishek Sharma's partner at the top of the order heading into the T20 World Cup. He should enjoy conditions in Australia, but he will certainly need to prove their faith right with a series of enterprising knocks.

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#1 Without Hardik Pandya, India won't find balance in their T20I side away from home

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

Away from home, particularly in conditions like Australia, India will ideally need three specialist fast bowlers apart from one pace-bowling all-rounder. However, without Hardik Pandya, it's almost impossible to achieve that balance.

Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy's emergence as a spin tandem, along with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh's presence as two pacers who can't contribute much with the bat, has greatly restricted the team's flexibility. All four are virtually undroppable, and even if the Men in Blue want to drop Kuldeep, they don't have any other pacers who are banging the door down.

More importantly, without Hardik, the balance of the team goes for a toss. That reflects in India's squad for the Australia T20Is, with neither Nitish Kumar Reddy nor Shivam Dube appearing particularly suited to the roles that are open in the playing XI.

It might not mean much by the time the T20 World Cup comes around at home, but India could struggle Down Under.