Australia vs India: 5 Australian players to watch out for in the T20I series

Australia’s T20 side is built around big-hitters and disciplined bowlers. This is the kind of balance that makes a series unpredictable. Ahead of the T20I matches against India, five Australians stand out as likely game-changers. Each brings a distinct weapon set that India will have to plan for carefully. These five players can decide the course of the series.

Advertisment

1. Josh Hazlewood

Hazlewood isn’t the flashy option, but the seam-line surgeon who removes risk from captaincy headaches. He’s returned to strong form after a mid-season injury and has shown in franchise cricket (and recent international outings) that disciplined straight-line bowling and strategic short balls at the death can kill momentum in the T20s. 

When Hazlewood lands his lengths, batters must take risks to score, and risks produce wickets, which is exactly the scenario Australia wants late in an innings. His IPL comeback and international record make him a reliable strike option up front and at the death.

2. Tim David

Tim David’s value is obvious. He provides an enormous strike rate and the ability to clear boundaries from ball one. He’s become Australia’s power-hitter off the bench and an X-factor in the final six overs. He is someone who can turn 15 balls into a match-winning cameo. 

Teams can plan set fields for him, but he forces bowlers to change and execute various plans of perfect yorkers and mix slower balls with pace. Given his hot recent form in franchise leagues and international games, India must treat him as a legitimate match-winner rather than a cameo threat.

3. Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell needs little introduction. He’s the batter who scores at insane strike-rates and is also a useful off-spinner, so a two-for-one threat in T20 cricket. Even after his ODI retirement to focus on T20s, Maxwell’s appetite for big moments hasn’t faded and he still produces the odd match-defining blitz that rearranges an entire chase. 

Australia will lean on him to produce rapid middle-overs acceleration or finish games. India will need their best plans for throwing slower balls and cross-seam yorkers into the mix to slow him down. Expect Maxwell to be a key match-winner and a psychological headache for opposition captains.

Advertisment

4. Xavier Bartlett

Bartlett is less talked about outside Australia, but his impact is real. He is a tall, aggressive quick, who extracts bounce and can move the new ball enough to produce early breakthroughs. In T20s, early wickets tilt match probabilities heavily, and Bartlett’s ability to unsettle top-order batters with pace and bounce makes him worth watching. 

He’s still relatively new at the international level, which gives him an edge. Indian batters have less specific footage or patterns to plan against. If Bartlett gets the new-ball swing or hits the hard lengths, India’s top order could be on the back foot straight away.

5. Mitchell Marsh

Marsh brings a blend of power, strike rotation and useful medium-pace overs. He’s been used by Australia as a solid hitter and a seam-bowling option in the middle overs or as a change bowler. 

Marsh’s value is in a match context. He can absorb pressure with the bat and then provide the team a seam in one as well. In close T20 contests, that versatility becomes decisive, where he either stabilises a chase or adds quick runs and a couple of tidy overs when Australia needs to shut down a scoring push.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!