As Team India engage in the five-match T20I series against Australia, the visitors have received a huge blow. Young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out for the first three T20I matches against the Aussies due to neck spasms, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.
Earlier, the right-hander was ruled out of the third ODI in Sydney due to a quadriceps injury and has now sustained a new niggle.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out for the first three T20Is. The all-rounder who was recovering from his left quadriceps injury sustained during the second ODI in Adelaide, complained of neck spasms, which has impacted his recovery and mobility. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress,” BCCI stated in a media release.
🚨 Update
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out for the first three T20Is. The all-rounder who was recovering from his left quadriceps injury sustained during the second ODI in Adelaide, complained of neck spasms, which has impacted his recovery and mobility. The BCCI Medical… pic.twitter.com/ecAt852hO6
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 29, 2025
In the ongoing first T20I match at the Manuka Oval, Australia has won the toss and elected to bowl first against Team India.
After suffering a 1-2 loss in the three-match ODI series against the Aussies, the “Men in Blue” will be eager to clinch the shortest format series.
India`s swashbuckling batsman Abhishek Sharma will be looking to achieve the feat of completing 1000 runs in the shortest format of the game. He is falling short of 151 runs to accomplish the feat.
So far, he has scored 849 runs in 23 T20I innings. If he manages to score 151 runs in the next three innings, he would be joining Indian legend Virat Kohli as the joint-fastest to 1,000 T20I runs.
On the other hand, Tilak Varma is 38 runs shy of reaching the 1000-run mark in the format. Having played 32 T20I matches so far for Team India, the Hyderabad-born cricketer has accumulated 962 runs.
Earlier, the visitors suffered a loss by 1-2 in the three-match ODI series. They will be eager to clinch the T20I series, as the contest will serve as a preparatory series for the T20 World Cup 2026.
IND vs AUS 1st T20I: Confirmed Playing XI
India`s XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia`s XI: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Philippe, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
(With PTI Inputs)