Manuka Oval hosts first T20I match between India and Australia
India unbeaten in T20I series Australia since 2008, last loss in 2008
Suryakumar Yadav leads India, fresh off Asia Cup victory
Australia enter with strong 2025 record of 9 wins in 11 matches
The One-Day International leg of India's tour of Australia 2025 is done and dusted, with the hosts winning 2-1. Now the focus shifts to the format that matters most in the short term – the T20Is.
With the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 just months away, the two sides are set to play a five-match series that will allow them to assess squad depth and experiment with players on the fringes of selection.
The India vs Australia T20Is begin today at Manuka Oval, Canberra. And one statistic quietly looms over this opener.
India haven't lost a bilateral T20I series Down Under in 17 years, since a nine-wicket defeat in the one-off match at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 1, 2008. Irfan Pathan top-scored with 26 as India were dismissed for 74 all out.
Following that debacle, India have drawn 1-1 (two matches) in 2012, won 3-0 (three) in 2016, shared honours 1-1 (three) in 2018, and triumphed 2-1 (three) most recently in 2020.
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, arrive after winning the Asia Cup and, unlike other formats, they have a strong T20I head-to-head (20-11) record against Australia. The 'Men in Blue' have also won seven of their last eight meetings with the Aussies.
But Australia, under Mitchell Marsh, have been formidable this year. They enter the match with nine wins, one defeat and one no result in eleven T20Is in 2025.
Manuka Oval has hosted only a handful of T20Is, in fact, only four times, and today's India vs Australia match marks the second meeting between the two teams at the venue.
In December 2020, India posted 161/7 thanks to KL Rahul's 40-ball 51 and Ravindra Jadeja's 44 not out off 23. Yuzvendra Chahal and T Natarajan then claimed three wickets each to restrict the Aussies to 150/7 for an 11-run victory.
