India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav sees the upcoming five-match series against Australia as crucial for the 2026 T20 World Cup build-up.

The Men in Blue are coming into the series on the back of a near-flawless run in bilaterals and Asia Cup 2025 triumph. They also have top-ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma, bowler Varun Chakaravarthy in their ranks.

Addressing the media on the eve of the first T20I against Australia in Canberra, Suryakumar said his team is approaching the tour as an extension of their ongoing T20 process rather than treating it as a separate overseas assignment.

“There is not much change in combination. Last time when we went to South Africa, there also we played with one fast bowler, one all-rounder and three spinners. So conditions are similar — bouncy tracks,” Suryakumar told reporters on Tuesday (October 28).

He explained that India’s preparation for the T20 World Cup had already begun. “Our preparation (for T20 World Cup 2026) obviously started with the Asia Cup. Because since then we started playing T20s. And it will continue like this,” Surya said.

“We are not looking like we have come to a foreign country to play. So we will not see this series in a different way. We will look at it in the same way. It’s a build-up to the World Cup,” he added.

The Indian captain described Australia as both “beautiful” and “challenging”. “It’s a beautiful country to play cricket. And it’s quite challenging as well. So I am sure it will be a good one,” he remarked.

During the pre-match presser, Suryakumar Yadav also shared a positive update on Shreyas Iyer, following media reports that latter had been moved out of the ICU.

Iyer had suffered internal bleeding from the impact while taking a catch to dismiss Australia's Alex Carey in the third ODI at SCG last Saturday. The middle-order batter was immediately rushed to the hospital after scans revealed he had sustained a “laceration injury to the spleen.”

“We spoke to him. At least on the first day, when we got to know that he had an injury, I called him first. Then I got to know that he didn't have a phone. Then I called my physio, Kamlesh. He told me that he is stable. On the first day, you cannot be sure of anything.

"We have been talking to him for two days now. He has been replying. If he is replying on the phone, it means he is stable. And the doctor is also there with him. But he will be under supervision for the next few days. So it's looking good. But he has been replying, so that is good," said Suryakumar.

"He has been replying. If he is replying on the phone, it means he is stable. And the doctor is also there with him. But he will be under supervision for the next few days. So it's looking good. But he has been replying, so that is good," he added.