Irfan Pathan reveals India’s biggest challenge ahead of T20I series vs Australia

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has stated that the Indian team would have an imbalance in its playing XI due to the absence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the five-match T20I series against Australia Down Under.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan asserted that he is unsure about India’s new ball bowling attack in Hardik Pandya’s absence. Notably, Hardik shared the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah in the recent Asia Cup 2025 campaign. 

“The other challenge is team combination. With Hardik Pandya injured, India’s balance changes. Who bowls the new ball now? In the Asia Cup final, Shivam Dube opened the bowling — will that continue?” Irfan Pathan asked on his YouTube channel.

“In Australia, three fast bowlers are a must. You don’t need three spinners there like in Dubai. I’d go with three pacers and one spinner,” he added.

Furthermore, Pathan went on to reveal his playing XI, which focuses more on the batting depth till No. 8 and a solid bowling attack. Interestingly, he didn’t opt for Kuldeep Yadav and revealed the reason behind his decision. 

“If we do that, here’s my playing XI prediction: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy,” he said.

“This gives the team good batting depth till No. 8 and a solid bowling attack. It’s a tough call between Kuldeep and Varun. Personally, I’d pick Varun for the extra mystery factor, especially if India wants a spinner who can bowl during the powerplay. But if the team goes with Kuldeep, that’s fine too,” he concluded.

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