CSK legend picks 3 key Indian players for AUS vs IND 2025 T20Is; leaves out Kuldeep Yadav

Australia v India - ODI Series: Game 3 - Source: Getty
Kuldeep Yadav played in only one out of the three ODIs in the ongoing Australian tour [Credit: Getty]

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramanian Badrinath picked three key Indian players to watch out for in the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia (On his Instagram handle). The battle for T20I supremacy begins with the series opener in Canberra on Wednesday, October 29.

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Badrinath picked the in-form Abhishek Sharma as his first player, thanks to the latter's sensational T20I form. The young opener is coming off a phenomenal run in India's most recent T20I assignment - the 2025 Asia Cup.

Abhishek led all scorers with 314 runs at an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of 200 in seven outings, earning him Player of the Tournament honors. The southpaw is currently the No. 1-ranked T20I batter in world cricket.

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Badrinath picked the woefully out-of-form skipper Suryakumar Yadav as the next key Indian player for the Australian series. Surya has been shockingly out of form in T20Is since the beginning of last year, averaging 21.16 in 30 matches with four half-centuries.

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The numbers have worsened since he took over as India's permanent T20I captain, following the World Cup last year. Surya has averaged a dismal 18.33 in 20 innings, including only 18 in the recent Asia Cup in the UAE.

Yet, the Men in Blue have thrived as a team under Surya, winning 20 out of their 22 T20I matches.

S Badrinath picks one of the bowlers as his final Indian player for the Australian T20Is

Subramaniam Badrinath picked wily spinner Varun Chakaravarthy as the final name on his three key players list for India in the upcoming Australian T20Is. Varun has been in extraordinary T20I form since returning to the side in the middle of last year.

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The 34-year-old has picked up 38 wickets in 18 T20Is during this period at a stellar average of 12.94 and an economy of 7.23, including two 5-wicket hauls. Varun is currently ranked the No. 1 T20I bowler in the world in the latest ICC rankings.

Meanwhile, India has won seven out of their last eight T20I meetings against Australia, including their latest matchup in the T20 World Cup last year. The Indians have also won their last three bilateral T20I series against the Aussies, with Australia's last bilateral T20I series win over India coming in 2018/19.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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