Rain won in Canberra, depriving spectators at the ground and viewers at home of an exciting competition. Action worth 40 overs was expected, but even 1/4 wasn’t managed: 9.4 overs. Therefore, one can’t make any sweeping assumptions from the stop-and-start match.
Takeaways from Canberra ODI
However, just from the Indian perspective, we got to know a little. Firstly, the management rates their spinners very highly. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy’s inclusion in what were pace-friendly conditions shows how much Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir believe in them.
Focus on batting depth was highlighted as well. Harshit Rana playing over Arshdeep Singh was a clear indication that whatever batting ability the former has makes him more valuable than Arshdeep. Apart from this, Suryakumar Yadav and Gill doing well was a great sign.
They weren’t in great nick during the 2025 Asia Cup. Suryakumar was going through a rough patch, and scoring 39 from 24 was extremely positive amid growing concerns. Gill ended with a 185-strike rate without taking much risk, showing why he was brought back to T20Is.
Will there be any changes in India’s playing XI?
The big question that arises is, will there be any changes for the India vs Australia 2nd T20I? Apart from ground dimensions, we won’t see much difference in the surface at the Manuka Oval and MCG. If India played with 5 batters, 3 all-rounders, and 3 bowlers in Canberra, on what basis can they drop anyone if just 3 players were in action?
This means Arshdeep won’t get a look in. Unless the management feels the spinners won’t have any big say, neither Kuldeep nor Varun will be rested. And due to Harshit’s ability to whack a few boundaries, he won’t be benched either.
India T20I squad for Australia series
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vc), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
Bench: Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar
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