India are up against Australia in a T20I clash, and India's middle-order star Tilak Varma was rested for the fifth and final T20I at The Gabba in Brisbane.
With a packed T20 schedule ahead, including the
ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the decision was taken to manage Varma's workload and keep him fresh and injury-free for upcoming important white-ball assignments. This rest is vital as the 22-year-old southpaw plays a crucial role in India's middle order and has been one of the best T20 batsmen in the world in recent times.
Tilak Varma's form in the ongoing series has seen mixed returns, scoring 0, 29, and 5 in his previous outings. Despite this, he has maintained an impressive overall record in 2025 with 380 runs from 16 matches at an average of 42.22 and a strike rate of 127.94, including two half-centuries. In his career so far, he has amassed 996 runs in 36 T20 internationals with two centuries and four half-centuries.
Replacing him in the playing XI was Rinku Singh, who is making his comeback after last featuring in the Asia Cup 2025 final. Rinku Singh, known for his explosive batting, offers India a powerful finish option in the middle and lower order, and he has scored 550 runs in 34 T20Is at an impressive strike rate of 161.76.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed Tilak's rest at the toss, saying they have made only one change for the final match of the series.
India have made a stormy start after put into bat first by Australia. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma have provided a quick start as they are 52 for no loss as rain has interrupted the proceedings. Gill bats on 29 off 16, while Sharma is also unbeaten on 23 off just 13 deliveries.
