India’s win in IND vs AUS 4th T20I raises more questions than answers with 11 matches to go for T20 World Cup

India managed to defeat Australia by 48 runs in the IND vs AUS 4th T20I but several questions remain for the Men in Blue

India cricket team have managed to salvage their way through to yet another win, this time in the IND vs AUS 4th T20I. Suryakumar Yadav and co. have managed secure a 48-run win in Gold Coast, thanks to the bowers. With this win, India go 2-1 up in the series, howeverm there remains several questions that are unanswered heading into the T20 World Cup 2026.

Bowlers do the trick for India

After a mediocre show from the batters which resulted in Inda posting a 168-run target for Australia, it was the bowlers who did the hard work for the hosts. Shivam Dube turned out to be the pick of the bowlers, having picked 2 wickets in 2 overs, geting rid of the dangerous Mitchell Marsh and Tim David. Washington Sundar, who wasn’t given the ball in the previous match, finished with figures of 3/3, while Bumrah, Arshdeep and Chakravarthy got one wicket each. Eventually, India wrapped up the game with 4 overs to spare.

Shubman Gill fit for T20Is?

Ever since the Punjab batter returned to T20Is earlier in the Asia Cup 2025, he has not been been able to create any sort of impact. After replacing Sanju Samson as opener in the shortest format of the game, Gill has managed to score 230 runs from 11 innings, with zero fifties to his name while averaging 25.55. Touted as the future T20I skipper, Shubman will now have to race against time to prove his worth in order to warrant for a spot in the XI for the World Cup. In Australia, he registered scores of 37*, 5, 15 and 46, showcasing his inability to convert some good starts on a couple of occasions.

Overdependence on Abhishek Sharma

While Abhishek Sharma is one of India’s best T20I batters at present, it looks like India are slightly over-dependent on him. Make no mistake, the opener has been quite impressive in 2025, having scored 733 runs from 16 matches, including a hundred and five half-centuries. However, his ultra-aggressive approach has failed to pay off against Australia as he has registered scores of 19, 68, 25 and 28 in 4 T20Is.

More than his approach, the question that comes to the fore is that are India over-reliant on Sharma at the top of the order. The rest of the baters seem to heavily depend on Abhishek to do most of the damage early on in the innings while they fluctuate in terms of their performances.

SKYfall

The biggest concern for India heading into the T20 World Cup 2026 will be the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav. He has scored just 184 runs at an of 15.33 average in 2025. In fact, it has been well over an year since he last score a half-century in the shortest format of the game. While he did demote himself to number 4 in the IND vs AUS 4th T20I, he only managed to score 20 runs before he was sent packing. SKY is now racing against time to rediscover his form so that he could lead India in the T20 World Cup with authority and runs under his belt.

What about Rinku Singh?

Once considered as India’s go-to finisher, Rinku has been left out of the playing XI consistently. He was last seen in action in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan where he scored the winning runs for India. Rinku has been left out of India’s line-up in the 4 T20Is against Australia so far. India, with Gautam Gambhir at the helm of affairs, have opted for more all-rounders in the side, either in the form of Shivam Dube or Washington Sundar, leading to Rinku staying benched. Well, it remains to be seen how long will India keep denying Rinku an opportunity, leading up to the World Cup.

Absence of Nitish Reddy

Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the first three T20Is against Australia after sustaining a quadriceps injury during the ODI series. However, he was snubbed from the playing XI for the 4th T20I as well. While he has been named in the Test side for the two-match series against South Africa later in the month, it remains to be seen what India wish to do with the all-rounder in T20Is in the future. Besides, NKR was being groomed as a like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya who missed the IND vs AUS series due to an injury he suffered during Asia Cup.

What exactly must Shivam Dube do?

Shivam Dube’s role has been quite confusing, at least with how things transpired in the ongoing IND vs AUS T20I series. He was made 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 just 1 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 comprehend as to what Gambhir and SKY expect of Dube in the playing XI – be it with bat or ball.

Sanju Samson’s time done and dusted?

Sanju Samson, who lost his role as an opener to Shubman Gill at the Asia Cup 2025, has been left out of the playing XI for two consecutive games in the series against Australia. He was promoted to number three in the 2nd T20I where he managed to score just 2 runs before he was sent packing. In the next game, he was replaced by Jitesh Sharma who played a handy 22-run knock to power India across the line, justifying his inclusion in the XI after over a year and a half. He was once again given a chance in the 4th T20I where he only managed to score 3 runs off 4 deliveries. Nevertheless, with Samson not being considered as an opener anymore and Jitesh showing promising signs in the middle-order, more so as a finisher, it remains to be seen if Samson can find his way back to the side.