Suryakumar plays down ‘foreign conditions’ threat ahead of Australia T20Is; vows to treat it as…

Suryakumar Yadav vows to treat the forthcoming five-match T20I series against Australia as an extension of their ongoing process of preparing the best side for the home World Cup next year. Speaking to the media ahead of the first game in Canberra on Wednesday (Oct 29), the Indian T20I skipper SKY said the team is wary of the playing conditions; instead of taking it as a separate overseas challenge, they will use this as a chance to formalise the combination.

“There is not much change in combination. Last time when we went to South Africa, there also we played with one fast bowler, one all-rounder and three spinners. So, conditions are similar — bouncy tracks,” Suryakumar said.

Earlier, the SKY-led Indian Team won this edition’s Asia Cup (played in the T20 format) in Dubai, beating Pakistan in the final. With the star-studded side looking dominant in this format, Suryakumar vowed to let his team play this way only, even in Down Under.

“Our preparation (for T20 World Cup 2026) obviously started with the Asia Cup. Because since then, we started playing T20s. And it will continue like this,” he said. “We are not looking like we have come to a foreign country to play. So, we will see this series in a different way. We will look at it in the same way. It’s a build-up to the World Cup,” he added.

Meanwhile, all T20Is will take place on the east coast, with Manuka Oval hosting the opener. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will stage the second game two days later, before the action moves to Hobart (3rd T20I) and Gold Coast (4th T20I) for the next two games. The Gabba in Brisbane will host the final T20I on Saturday (Nov 8).

India’s T20I squad for Australia series –

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar