India bring back Jitesh Sharma, who last made his T20I appearance in January 2024
Big news from the Bellerive Oval is that India have dropped Sanju Samson from their playing XI for the third T20I against Australia, on November 2 (Sunday). The wicketkeeper batter, promoted at No.3, failed to grab his opportunity, scoring just two, leading to management dropping him for the third T20I.
Instead, the management have recalled 32-year-old Jitesh Sharma, who is making his first appearance in almost two years. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter last played for India against Afghanistan in Indore in January 2024 before being dropped from the squad.
But a stellar Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season with RCB, where he scored 261 runs in 15 games, earned him a return to the Indian setup. While he didn’t play a single contest during India’s unbeaten streak in the Asia Cup 2025, the right-hander has now returned to the playing XI.
Alongside that, India have made two more changes, with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh returning to the setup, at the expense of Harshit Rana. Washington Sundar, meanwhile, replaces Kuldeep Yadav, who went for 45 runs in the second T20I.
India’s Playing XI for the Hobart T20I
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
