The decision to reintegrate Shubman Gill, the Test and ODI vice-captain, into the 20-over setup backfired spectacularly with Suryakumar’s designated deputy failing to touch fifty in 15 innings since his recall after a 13-month absence for the Asia Cup
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav (right) and vice-captain Axar Patel. Pic/AFP
Having played 10 Test matches in 2025, India will, at best, play half that number in the new year. The highlight of 2026 will instead be packaged in a four-week window between February 7 and March 8, when they seek to defend the T20 World Cup crown clinched under Rohit Sharma in Bridgetown in June 2024.
Adding greater lustre to the title defence is the fact that India will play all their matches (except those against Pakistan) at home, lending more allure as well as the weight of expectations on Suryakumar Yadav’s men. Throughout 2025, the T20I squad reiterated its class and consistency; the 3-1 defeat of South Africa in December stretched India’s unbeaten run in the most unpredictable format to an impressive 15 series, the crowning glory being the all-win campaign at the Asia Cup in the UAE.
India’s selectors took the scenic route to arrive at what is potentially the best 15 to retain the World Cup. The decision to reintegrate Shubman Gill, the Test and ODI vice-captain, into the 20-over setup backfired spectacularly with Suryakumar’s designated deputy failing to touch fifty in 15 innings since his recall after a 13-month absence for the Asia Cup. Gill’s inclusion had compelled the decision-makers to split the successful opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. The two will now be reunited at the top, and will have five matches against New Zealand in January to rekindle their chemistry.
The profusion of all-rounders has given Suryakumar and head coach Gautam Gambhir numerous options that will bolster the strength and balance of the playing XI. Wrist-spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav were crucial to India’s title triumphs at the 50-over Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup, both in the Emirates, in 2025. Alongside the peerless Jasprit Bumrah, hitting his straps at the right time, they will again be central to the team’s fortunes.
India have the personnel to become the first nation to both successfully defend their title and lift the T20 World Cup for a third time.
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No. of T20I World Cups won by India
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