Ex-India​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ all-rounder Irfan Pathan has foreseen the playing XI for the first T20I of the five-match series against Australia in Canberra. It is quite surprising that Pathan has not considered India's leading spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI; instead, he has chosen Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner. The squad he has selected is almost like the team that won the Asia Cup last month, with just a couple of changes due to injuries. As Hardik Pandya is out of the series, Pathan kept the batting core that has been good for India in the last few months. He has named vice-captain Shubman Gill and “best T20 batter” Abhishek Sharma as openers, with captain Suryakumar Yadav at number three. In his predicted XI, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube complete the middle and lower ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌order. Irfan Pathan favours a pace-heavy combination in Canberra conditions Pathan​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ decided not to fill the team with spinners but rather to go for a seam-heavy attack to fit the conditions in Canberra. He has in his bowling line-up Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah, whom he referred to as the "world's best" fast bowler. As there was only room for one spinner in the playing XI, Pathan supported Varun Chakravarthy to be the one who would surpass Kuldeep ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌Yadav. “Since the match is in Canberra, it is likely India would go for one less spinner. The only question that remains is whether Kuldeep should play for Chakravarthy. I believe Chakravarthy should play,” Pathan said in a video posted by Star Sports on X. Meanwhile, India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav described squad selection as a “good headache” ahead of the series. Acknowledging the depth in India’s talent pool, the 34-year-old said that every player understands the team’s larger goal — to win matches for India. “It’s a good headache to have so many options, whether fast bowlers or spinners. From the top to No. 7, everyone is flexible; anyone can bat anywhere,” Suryakumar said. He added that players have matured enough to prioritise team combinations over individual form. “If we want to win the match, never mind the combination. Even if someone has done well recently, but he doesn’t fit into the next match’s setup, for example, if we need an extra spinner or all-rounder, everyone understands. We have reached that situation,” the skipper added.