As India prepare to begin their five-match T20I series in Australia starting October 29 in Canberra, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan has identified the key impact players who could decide the contest.
Zaheer Khan names impact players ahead of Australia vs India T20I series 2025
According to Zaheer, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma and Australian southpaw Travis Head hold the potential to be the X-factors for their respective sides in what promises to be an electrifying series. Abhishek has been India’s most dynamic performer in the format over the past year and enters the series in stellar form after being named Player of the Tournament in India’s Asia Cup 2025 triumph. The young left-hander currently sits atop the ICC T20I batter rankings and will look to continue his purple patch on Australian soil.
On the other hand, despite Head’s recent lean patch averaging just 11.66 in nine matches this year the explosive opener’s record against India is a positive indicator. He averages over 36 against the Men in Blue in T20Is at a strike rate exceeding 150 making him a major threat particularly at home conditions where he has previously flourished
Zaheer Khan firmly believes India will head into the series as favorites considering their dominant form in the shorter format. Speaking to Cricbuzz the former pacer highlighted the team’s consistency and balance across departments. He pointed out that the return of Jasprit Bumrah has significantly strengthened India’s bowling attack while the aggressive approach of their batters continues to put opposition sides under pressure. India have been nearly unbeatable in T20Is winning 24 of their last 27 matches since their unbeaten run in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.
“They (India) should be favorites based on how they’ve been going on doing their business in this format. It just looks challenging for any team to beat this Indian side. Add to that Bumrah is also back so that’s definitely going to boost the bowling side of things. The batters have been fearless as well so it’s definitely advantage India,” Zaheer said.
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Zaheer sees opportunity for Indian all-rounder’s development
Apart from the top-order battle Zaheer stressed the importance of testing India’s all-round depth. He opined that the series offers an ideal platform to assess Shivam Dube’s bowling contributions especially in the absence of Hardik Pandya. Dube’s performance in the Asia Cup where he took five wickets at an impressive economy under 7.8 earned praise for his control and adaptability.
Zaheer suggested that India’s management will monitor whether Dube can deliver one or two overs regularly and provide balance to the side. His role became vital in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan where he delivered under pressure conceding just 23 runs in three overs during the powerplay.
“Whether they have enough faith in Shivam Dube to do the job remains to be seen. They tried that in the UAE when Hardik was not available for the final. So they’ll use this opportunity to see if Dube can put his hand up and contribute with one or two overs consistently,” he added.
As India and Australia open their T20I rivalry of 2025 all eyes will be on how the emerging stars like Abhishek and the seasoned campaigners such as Head shape the narrative of this much-anticipated series.
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