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Australia and India are set to lock horns in a five-match T20I series, beginning at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday, October 29. The visitors will look to bounce back following a 1-2 ODI series defeat to AustraliaThe series will be crucial for both sides as they look to gather momentum on the road to the 2026 T20 World Cup. India have flourished under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy.They are yet to lose a single bilateral series since Suryakumar took over the captaincy reins in July 2024. The Men in Blue are coming into the series following their Asia Cup 2025 triumph.While India are unbeaten in their last nine bilateral T20I series, Australia are also in red-hot form with an unbeaten streak of eight bilateral series in the format. The forms of both teams promise closely contested affairs.Overall, the teams have faced each other 32 times in T20 cricket. India have the upper hand in the head-to-head battle, winning 20 matches.Australia have 11 victories to their name, while one match ended in a no result. Furthermore, India haven't lost a single T20I series (minimum two matches) on Australian soil.Here's the complete schedule of the series:1st T20I: Manuka Oval, Canberra, October 292nd T20I: Melbourne Cricket Ground, October 313rd T20I: Bellerive Oval, November 24th T20I: Bill Pippen Oval, November 65th T20I: The Gabba, November 8Here, we take a look at three player battles to watch out for in the series.#1 Marcus Stoinis (AUS) vs Axar Patel (IND)Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis' batting exploits in the middle-overs will be key for the home team. The 36-year-old has the ability to take the game away from the opposition with his explosive hitting.He has a decent record against India in the format, amassing 157 runs across 11 matches at a strike rate of 133.05. However, the veteran player could face a tough challenge against Axar Patel, a bowler he has struggled to counter in the past.Stoinis has faced the left-arm spinner in three T20I innings so far, and has lost his wicket to him twice. Axar has dominated the proceedings in the IPL as well, dismissing the Australian star twice in five innings, while conceding just 15 runs from 25 balls.#2 Travis Head (AUS) vs Jasprit Bumrah (IND)Australia opener Travis Head has been a thorn in India's flesh on multiple occasions. The southpaw has scored 255 runs from eight T20Is at a strike rate of 150.88 against the side.Ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah could be skipper Suryakumar Yadav's best bet against Head. Their mini-battle during the powerplay is likely to entertain the viewers.Bumrah has claimed Head's wicket eight times in 22 innings across formats, including the IPL. He is the leading wicket-taker in T20Is between the two sides, bagging 17 scalps from 14 games at an economy rate of 8.#3 Suryakumar Yadav (IND) vs Adam Zampa/Josh Hazlewood (AUS)Suryakumar Yadav's lean patch has been a big talking point ahead of the series. The swashbuckling batter had an ordinary Asia Cup 2025 campaign as a batter, finishing with 72 runs across six innings.He enjoyed an imperious run in IPL 2025. The batter was the second-highest run-scorer of the edition, chalking up 717 runs from 16 innings at a strike rate of 167.91.However, Suryakumar has struggled to get going in international cricket this year and has just 100 runs to his name from 12 T20Is with an ordinary strike rate of 105.26 in 2025.His battle with Australian leg spinner Adam Zampa could be an exciting affair. The seasoned spinner has bagged 12 wickets from 16 outings against the team at an economy rate of 7.29.Meanwhile, Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has a fantastic record against Suryakumar. He has claimed the dynamic batter's wicket three times in five innings across formats (including IPL).However, Hazlewood is set to feature in only the first two matches of the series. He has been released from the squad for the last three games to play Sheffield Shield ahead of the Ashes 2025-26.
