India Seek Series Lead as Shubman Gill Hunts Form in 4th T20 vs Australia

Shubman Gill will look to rediscover his best touch as India attempt to move 2-1 ahead in the T20 series when they face a weakened Australia in the fourth T20 International on Thursday. The contest is level at 1-1 after three games, and Australia’s earlier match without Josh Hazlewood allowed India to chase 186 with relative ease.

Australia are further depleted by the absence of opener Travis Head, who will return home for Sheffield Shield duties as he prepares for the Ashes. With those regulars unavailable, India have a clear window to take the series lead before the deciding game at the Gabba.

India experimented with their lineup in the last match, shifting personnel and persisting with an extra all-round option down the order. Gill, however, has struggled for a big score — he has now gone six matches without a fifty, posting 10, 9, 24, 37*, 5 and 15 since the ODI series. His most composed contribution came in the steady stand with captain Suryakumar Yadav at Canberra.

Gill has been challenged by fuller deliveries that offer mild movement and has yet to produce the consistency expected of him. By contrast, Abhishek Sharma — currently ranked top in T20 batting — has produced a half-century and two brisk starts. A timely innings in this match would be important for Gill ahead of the forthcoming red-ball fixtures in South Africa.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav has shown brief signs of form with useful starts in matches one and three and will be keen to build momentum in the run-up to a month-long break before the South Africa Tests; he is likely to play Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy fixture against Puducherry during that period.

India’s attack looks more balanced with Arshdeep Singh back in the mix, while Kuldeep Yadav has been rested to focus on Test preparations. Team selection continues to pose trade-offs in the spin department; when Arshdeep is selected, Washington Sundar’s presence proved pivotal in the third win with his unbeaten 49 off 23 balls.

Australia will depend on Mitchell Marsh for leadership and power, with Tim David also expected to provide hitting. With Travis Head absent, Matthew Short is likely to open alongside Marsh. The Australians may tweak their bowling unit too: Sean Abbott’s place is under review and options such as Ben Dwarshuis or Mahli Beardman are being considered.

India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (C), Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (WK), Josh Phillippe (WK), Mitchell Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Marcus Stoinis