Michael Clarke picks Indian batter as leading scorer and gives stunning prediction for AUS vs IND 2025 T20Is

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke picked exciting Indian opener Abhishek Sharma to be the leading run-scorer in the upcoming India-Australia T20I series. After a high-voltage ODI series, the two teams will battle over five T20Is, starting in Canberra on Wednesday, October 28.

Abhishek has been in sensational form in T20Is this year, averaging almost 50 at a strike rate of 208.80 in 12 matches in 2025. The southpaw is coming off a Player of the Tournament performance in the recent Asia Cup 2025, scoring over 300 runs at an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of 200 in seven matches.

Talking about the youngster on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Clarke said (31:12):

"I think he's ( Abhishek) ready to play all three formats for India. It's hard, you can only have 11 players and six batters in. But I reckon he is an absolute superstar in this format. He opens the batting, a left-hander and has got all the shots."

While Abhishek boasts 24 T20I games under his belt, he has never faced Australia in the shortest format. Meanwhile, Clarke went for Australia's Adam Zampa to be the leading wicket-taker of the T20I series.

Zampa has a stellar T20I record with 131 wickets at an average of 21.38 and an economy of 7.33 in 106 matches.

Michael Clarke predicts the series scoreline for the Australia-India T20Is

Michael Clarke picked Australia to upstage India in the five-match T20I series by a 3-1 margin, with one game potentially called off due to bad weather. Both sides have been in phenomenal T20I form over the past year.

India went through the 2024 T20 World Cup unbeaten, winning a second title in the T20 edition. They have continued their stellar run since, winning 24 out of their next 27 matches.

Meanwhile, Australia has rediscovered its mojo in the shortest format after a disappointing pre-semifinal exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Men in Yellow have won 16 out of their last 18 completed T20I outings, including their previous four bilateral T20I series.

Yet, they have found the going challenging against India in recent T20I meetings. The Men in Blue have won seven out of their last eight T20I matches against the Aussies and the previous three bilateral T20I series between the sides.