India’s 4th T20I win against AUS raises more questions than answers with 11 matches remaining in the T20 World Cup

The Indian cricket team managed to claw their way to another victory, this time in the 4th T20I IND vs AUS. Suryakumar Yadav and co. managed to secure a 48-point victory in Gold Coast, thanks to the bowers. With the win, India leads 2-1 in the series, but several questions remain unanswered heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Bowlers do the trick for India

After a poor batting show that saw Inda post a target of 168 for Australia, it was the bowlers who did the hard work for the hosts. Shivam Dube proved to be the pick of the bowlers, having picked 2 wickets in 2 overs, getting rid of the dangerous Mitchell Marsh and Tim David. Washington Sundar, who did not receive the ball in the previous match, finished with figures of 3/3, while Bumrah, Arshdeep and Chakravarthy got a wicket each. Eventually, India ended the match with 4 overs remaining.

Is Shubman Gill suitable for T20Is?

Ever since the Punjab batter returned to T20Is earlier in the 2025 Asia Cup, he has not been able to create any impact. After replacing Sanju Samson as the opener in the shortest format of the game, Gill managed to score 230 runs in 11 innings, with zero fifties to his name at an average of 25.55. Touted as the future T20I skipper, Shubman will now have to race against time to prove his worth to secure a place in the World Cup playing XI. In Australia he recorded scores of 37*, 5, 15 and 46, demonstrating his inability to convert a few good starts on several occasions.

Over-dependence on Abhishek Sharma

Although Abhishek Sharma is currently one of India’s best T20I batters, it seems that India are slightly too dependent on him. Make no mistake, the opener has been quite impressive in 2025, having scored 733 runs in 16 matches, including one hundred and five half-centuries. However, his ultra-aggressive approach did not bear fruit against Australia as he recorded scores of 19, 68, 25 and 28 in 4 T20Is.

More than his approach, the question that arises is whether India are too dependent on Sharma at the top of the order. The rest of the batters seem to be heavily dependent on Abhishek to do most of the damage early in the innings as they fluctuate in terms of performance.

Skyfall

India’s biggest concern heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup will be the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav. He has scored just 184 runs at an average of 15.33 in 2025. In fact, it has been well over a year since he scored a half-century in the shortest format of the game. Although he was demoted to number 4 in the 4th IND vs AUS T20I, he only managed to score 20 runs before being dismissed. SKY is now racing against time to regain his form so that he can lead India in the T20 World Cup with authority and run under his belt.

And Rinku Singh?

Once considered India’s go-to finisher, Rinku was consistently left out of the playing XI. He was last seen in action during the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan, where he scored the winning runs for India. Rinku has so far been left out of India’s lineup in all 4 T20Is against Australia. India, with Gautam Gambhir at the helm of affairs, opted for more versatile players, either in the form of Shivam Dube or Washington Sundar, which allowed Rinku to remain on the bench. Well, it remains to be seen how long India will continue to deny Rinku an opportunity, ahead of the World Cup.

Absence of Nitish Reddy

Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the first three T20Is against Australia after suffering a quadriceps injury during the ODI series. However, he was also left out of the playing XI for the 4th T20I. Although he has been named in the Test squad for the two-match series against South Africa later this month, it remains to be seen what India want to do with the T20I all-rounder in the future. Furthermore, NKR was prepared to be a like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya who missed the IND vs AUS series due to an injury he suffered during the Asia Cup.

What exactly should Shivam Dube do?

Shivam Dube’s role has been quite confusing, at least when it comes to how things have unfolded in the ongoing IND vs AUS T20I series. He was brought in to bat at number 3 in the 4th T20I where he managed to score 22 runs off 18 deliveries. In the 3rd T20I, he never batted but conceded 43 runs with the ball while picking up only one wicket. In the 2nd T20I, he batted at number 8, below Harshit Rana and Axar Patel and failed to perform. At present, it is simply not possible to understand what Gambhir and SKY want from Dube in the playing XI – be it with bat or ball.

Sanju Samson’s time is done and dusted?

Sanju Samson, who lost his opening role to Shubman Gill in the 2025 Asia Cup, was left out of the playing XI for two consecutive matches in the series against Australia. He was promoted to number three in the 2nd T20I where he managed to score only 2 runs before being dismissed. In the next match, he was replaced by Jitesh Sharma who played a handy knock of 22 runs to propel India over the finish line, justifying his inclusion in the XI after more than a year and a half. He was given a chance again in the 4th T20I where he managed to score only 3 runs from 4 deliveries. Nonetheless, with Samson no longer seen as an opener and Jitesh showing promising signs in the middle order, more as a finisher, it remains to be seen whether Samson can find his way back into the side.