Just two days before the start of the five-match T20I series against India, Australia have been forced to make a key change to their squad. Star leg-spinner Adam Zampa has made himself unavailable for the opening part of the series as he and his wife, Harriet, are expecting their second child. In his absence, young leggie Tanveer Sangha has been called up as a replacement.

Zampa, Australia’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, had earlier missed the first ODI against India this month but returned for the remaining two games, helping the world champions clinch the series 2-1. His temporary absence opens the door once again for Sangha, who has shown great promise since his debut.

The 23-year-old spinner has played seven T20Is for Australia so far — all between August and December 2023 — including his last appearance against India in Bengaluru. Sangha made a memorable debut against South Africa, taking 4/31, and has picked up 10 wickets in total at an economy rate of 8.89.

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Australia, with an eye on workload management ahead of the Ashes 2025–26, had already planned several rotations in the squad. Skipper Mitchell Marsh will lead a balanced group that includes the return of Glenn Maxwell for the final three games after recovering from a wrist injury.

Pace duo Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott will feature in the early matches before joining their domestic teams for the Sheffield Shield, while uncapped quick Mahli Beardman is set to make his first appearance in national colors during the final three fixtures. The series begins on October 29 in Canberra and promises to test Australia’s bench strength.

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Australia T20I squad vs India: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott (first three matches only), Glenn Maxwell (last three matches), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (last three matches only), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (last two matches only), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (first two matches only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa (to miss start of series)