India’s reigning T20 world champion skipper Rohit Sharma advises current leader Suryakumar Yadav and his team to train hard, learn to absorb home pressure as they eye title defence early next year
India’s Rohit Sharma with the ICC T20 World Cup during an event at a hotel in Santacruz on Tuesday
Just like he plays his cricket and provides joy to fans all over the world, India’s reigning ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma has advised Suryakumar Yadav and his team to “enjoy” next year’s home World Cup while defending the title.
On Tuesday, Sharma was named brand ambassador of the 10th edition which will have 55 matches between 20 teams across five Indian and three Sri Lankan centres from February 7 to March 8, 2026. Having played in each of the previous nine T20 World Cups, Sharma has since retired from the format after leading India to the title in the West Indies and USA last year.
“The World Cup is very important. Cherish it, enjoy whenever you have the opportunity. There’s always quality in the team, pretty settled, pretty relaxed. These guys have been having a great run. I understand all the pressure as I was with the team about a year ago. They know how to focus,” said Rohit at a function in the city where the tournament’s details were announced. India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, USA, The Netherlands, and Namibia, while Group B has Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Oman. Group C includes England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Italy while Group D has New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, and UAE.
“You can’t go to a tournament thinking that it’s a walk through. All teams are competitive. The boys can’t take their feet off the pedal. There is no such thing as an upset in T20. Every team comes very well prepared,” added Rohit.
India will attempt to become the first nation to defend the T20 World Cup title and the onus will be on captain Suryakumar. “The boys are very excited to be playing the World Cup at home. I was a part of the wonderful unit in 2023 [ODI World Cup]. I’ve told the boys when you play a World Cup in India, it’s a completely different emotion altogether. There’s going to be pressure, but it’s going to be a great one. After the 2024 T20 World Cup, we wanted to play a different brand of cricket. Everyone is excited,” said Suryakumar, who will begin his title defence at Wankhede Stadium against USA on February 7.
2026 T20 World Cup in numbers
4
No. of groups
20
No. of teams
8
No. of venues
7
No. of cities
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
