Not Abhishek Sharma, Irfan Pathan picks another Indian batter for greatness ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 1st T20I

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that youngster Tilak Varma is headed towards greatness, on the back of the impressive start to his T20I career as well as his recent heroics in the 2025 Asia Cup Final against Pakistan. The southpaw has a stellar average of 53.44 and a strike rate of 149.15 after 32 appearances in the shortest format for India since his debut during the 2023 tour of the West Indies.

Tilak Varma, unsurprisingly, retained his spot in the T20I squad for the crucial five-match series against Australia. The batter maintained his form with a 94-run knock for India 'A' against Australia 'A' in the second unofficial ODI in Kanpur, shortly after his match-winning knock to conclude the 2025 Asia Cup campaign.

Tilak Varma was arguably only meandering along in the T20I side leading up to the 2024 T20 World Cup, and in the early stages of Suryakumar Yadav's reign as captain. However, he turned his fortunes around with consecutive hundreds in South Africa after earning a promotion in the batting order to No.3. Since then, he has been in sublime touch, and is currently the No. 3-ranked T20I batter in the world, only behind Abhishek Sharma and Phil Salt.

Irfan Pathan opined that Tilak Varma has a bright future, and backed him to have a landmark series in Australia, since he will favor conditions where the ball comes onto the bat quite well.

"Tilak Varma has put up outstanding numbers already. It feels like Tilak Varma is heading towards greatness, but there is still time for that, he has to maintain his performances. After his knock in the Asia Cup Final, his place rose in the eyes of all the experts who were watching that game. I think his ideal position is No.3, but if he bats at No.4, and the pitch is quick, it does not make a difference. So, I feel that he will prefer playing on Australian pitches," Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

He named Tilak Varma as one of the match-winners for Team India alongside Abhishek Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming five-match series against Australia.

"The three match-winners in this side are Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Jasprit Bumrah. I don't think anyone comes close to Abhishek Sharma, when it comes to fearless hitting. Even in the Asia Cup, we saw that he gave India strong starts in all matches, except for the final, he was taking on the big bowlers from the first ball itself. This is why a strong player like Yashasvi Jaiswal is still on the bench," Irfan Pathan added.

Abhishek Sharma is set for his second series in international colors outside the subcontinent, while Jasprit Bumrah will play a T20I in Australia for the first time since 2018. Team India played a T20I bilateral series and the 2022 T20 World Cup in the country since then, but the star pacer was not a part of either assignment.

"These pitches will make it easy for him to get his form back" - Irfan Pathan backs Suryakumar Yadav to be among the runs in AUS vs IND 2025 T20Is

Irfan Pathan outlined how the upcoming series presents itself as an excellent opportunity for skipper Suryakumar Yadav to regain his form. The ace batter last played in Australia during the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he had a prolific campaign, recording 239 runs in six matches at an average of 59.75 and a strike rate of 189.68.

"One area of concern is Suryakumar Yadav's form. His IPL went well, but he could not build on from that. I think the Australian pitches will suit him, it is ideal for him. These pitches will make it easy for him to get his form back," Irfan Pathan said.

The five-match series between the two heavyweights will kick-start on Wednesday, October 29, at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.