The "Men in Blue" will kick off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign by playing a clash against the USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
Dinesh Karthik (Pic: File Pic)
Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, former cricketer Dinesh Karthik spoke about Team India's solid form in the format.
While speaking, Karthik noted that the "Men in Blue" have won 29 out of 36 T20I matches they have played after their T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. He also pointed out that the side tasted success in the Asia Cup 2025, where they defeated arch-rivals, Pakistan, thrice in the continental tournament.
"The Indian team is in a very strong position at the moment. As we sit here, they have won 29 out of the 36 matches they have played in T20 cricket post the World Cup, which is a phenomenal record to have. In a very fickle format like T20, where upsets are the norm, this level of consistency is remarkable. Winning 29 out of the last 36 games they have played is, I feel, very hard to replicate. For starters, it tells you about the strength of the team. They have also played a very good Asia Cup in the recent past and went past Pakistan in the final, beating them three out of three times," he said.
Team India is placed in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2026 along with teams such as Pakistan, Namibia, the USA, and the Netherlands.
Further speaking, the former cricketer said that considering that the other three nations are still hunting their way to prove themselves in international cricket, India and Pakistan should be able to defeat them. He then explained the nature of the shortest format of the game.
"If you look at the depth of this group, there's India, there's Pakistan, and then there are three associate nations who are still finding their feet at the international level. You would expect India or Pakistan to beat them, but the beauty of this format is that you cannot walk into any game thinking it is going to be easy. You lose the toss, you are bowling, and suddenly, you are thinking this could be challenging at the back end. You need to get an above-par score to give yourself a chance to defend under dew. So, I would say India are in a very good place," Karthik explained.
He then feels depth bowling can be a concern for the Suryakumar Yadav-led men in the global showpiece.
"Death bowling is a concern. I think it's a challenge because of the way they stack up their eleven. When they have played in the subcontinent, they have gone with (Jasprit) Bumrah, Hardik (Pandya) as the second pacer, and Shivam Dube as the third, while backing their spinners heavily. At times, when the game goes deep, especially when they are defending a total, the back end can become a challenge," said the 40-year-old former cricketer.
The "Men in Blue" will kick off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign by playing a clash against the USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk).
(With ANI Inputs)
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