AUS vs IND 2025-26, 4th T20I: Axar and Dube’s combined 4-40 helps India outclass Australia and secure an unassailable 2-1 lead.
Brief Scores: IND 167/8 (Shubman Gill 46, Abhishek Sharma 28, Nathan Ellis 3/21) beat AUS 119 (Mitchell Marsh 30, Washington Sundar 3/3, Axar Patel 2/20) by 48 runs and lead series by 2-1.
Player of the match: Axar Patel (21* (11) & 2/20)
Team India’s five-wicket victory in the third T20I in Hobart brought fresh excitement in the five-match series against Australia. With the series being levelled at 1-1, the focus shifted to the fourth clash between the two heavyweights, taking place at the Carra Oval in Gold Coast.
To India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, the pitch looked every bit like typical subcontinent conditions. Australia’s skipper, Mitchell Marsh, though, wasn’t as familiar with the surface, given their limited fixtures at this venue.
Winning the toss, the home captain chose to bowl without hesitation. Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa returned to the XI, while Matthew Short was elevated to the opening slot in Travis Head’s absence—Head having shifted his focus to a Sheffield Shield fixture as part of his Ashes preparation. The visitors, meanwhile, stuck with their winning combination.
Talking point: Axar Patel & Shivam Dube’s spell in middle overs
With 167 to defend in wet conditions, India knew wickets in the middle overs would be crucial. Axar Patel and Shivam Dube rose to the task, excelling in that phase. The former used his variations beautifully to fox the batters while Dube’s slower balls brought him the vital wickets of Marsh and Tim David. They shared combined figures of 4/40 in six overs.
Read More: Shubman Gill has gone 13 innings without scoring a fifty in T20Is; Time to look beyond him?
India struggle in middle overs to reach 167/8
India went off to a decent start, thanks to an opening stand of 56 runs between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. However, both individuals struggled with timing as Australia’s bowlers made brilliant use of the change of pace. At 121/3 in 14 overs, the Blue Brigade were in a good position to cross the 180-run mark. But their middle order couldn’t contribute much with the bat.
Soon, the visitors were reduced to 152/7 in the 19th over. Patel smashed a boundary and a six on the first couple of deliveries of the last over to shoulder India to 167/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis shared six wickets between them.
Read More: AUS vs IND 2025-26, 3rd T20I: Sundar’s whirlwind 49* helps India pull one back; series level 1-1
Australia collapse from 91/3 to 119 all-out as India earn 48-run victory
Matthew Short took Australia to a flying start with the bat, along with Mitchell Marsh in their 37-run opening partnership. The former collected two boundaries straight down the ground against Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy to force the India captain to change his tactics. Ultimately, Axar Patel’s smart bowling brought Short’s downfall for 25 runs as the right-handed batter was trapped LBW.
Patel also went through the aggressive shot of Josh Inglis to break his stumps. Marsh’s mistimed big shot ended in Arshdeep’s hands on the boundary fence as the home side were reduced to 70/3 in the 10th over.
Australia couldn’t recover from here on. Tim David’s dismissal was a massive punch in their batting line-up. The home side lost five wickets for 25 runs in nearly five overs, including Tim David. India’s spinners didn’t allow the opposition batters to break free. Australia were bundled out for 119 as the Blue Brigade earned a 48-run victory.
Read More: AUS vs IND 2025-26, 2nd T20I: Josh Hazlewood entangles India with 3-13; Australia draw first blood
Statistical highlights from AUS vs IND, 4th T20I, 2025 in Gold Coast
- This was India’s first game across formats at Carrara Oval in Gold Coast.
- Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma record India’s joint third-highest T20I opening stand (56) in Australia.
- Among Test-playing nations, Adam Zampa is the joint second leading wicket-taker (52) as a spinner along with Rashid Khan since the start of 2024. Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain tops the chart with 64 wickets.
- Nathan Ellis has the most wickets (09) for Australia against India in a bilateral T20I series between the two nations.
- Shubman Gill’s 46 is the highest T20I individual score for a visiting batter at Carra Oval in Gold Coast.
- Washington Sundar reached the landmark of 50 wickets in T20Is.
What’s next
India’s victory has given them an unbeatable 2-1 lead going into the fifth and final game of the series. The clash will take place on November 8 at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Every call from @surya_14kumar was high quality today. High class Captaincy 👏
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 6, 2025
Axar Patel keeps improving all the time. he can bowl with the new ball, gets top order batters out, plays match-winning cameos, and comes across as a sharp and smart fighter. All-rounder ho toh bapu jaisa. @akshar2026
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) November 6, 2025
Read More: AUS vs IND 2025-26, 1st T20I: Surya shows glimpses of form in rain-hit abandoned game
