At the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, captain Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar will reveal the Indian team squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the T20I series against New Zealand in January. Along with Namibia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, and the United States, India is assigned to Group A. Its campaign against the USA will begin in Mumbai on February 7.
Team India’s T20 Performance Of 2025
With his incredible run in T20 cricket this year, whether for the Indian squad or franchise, star opener Abhishek Sharma appears to be a surefire starter in the competition. This year, he has scored 825 runs in 20 matches at an average of 43.42 at an SR of above 195, with a century and five fifties and a best score of 135. Despite their lacklustre performance this year, Shubman Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership group is also anticipated to be present. Suryakumar has only amassed 213 runs at a dismal average of 14.20 in 20 games and 18 innings this year, with a strike rate of just over 125 and no fifties. Gill has improved, but it doesn’t mean much because he hasn’t scored a fifty in 15 innings since returning to the T20I and has only scored 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and an SR of over 137, missing out on some promising starts. Gill is currently scheduled to miss the final T20I against South Africa due to a foot injury.
Who Are Expected To Get Chance This Time?
Another anticipated easy choice for the team is Tilak Varma, who demonstrated his big-match potential against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final and has an incredible run-chase record at number three. He has scored 494 runs at an average of 44.90 and an SR of more than 124 in T20Is this year, including three fifties. Although his strike rate is a worry, the sample size of games he has played for India and the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL shows that he is capable of playing big games. He could mimic the style that the great Virat Kohli used to play with during his prime, alternating between attacking and anchoring gears at will. The wicketkeeping possibilities might be Jitesh Sharma or opener Sanju Samson, but management will decide who gets to play based on team composition, form, and how much the team chooses to stick with Gill in spite of his bad form. Even Ishan Kishan, who recently won Jharkhand’s first ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), can be a candidate if recency bias is a factor. With 517 runs in 10 innings at an average of 57.44, an SR of above 195, two hundreds, and two fifties including one century in the final versus Haryana he also emerged as the tournament’s top run scorer.
Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Hardik Pandya are all rounders who might give the club unparalleled depth and batting/bowling power. With Sundar and Axar providing assistance, Kuldeep Yadav, who has been outstanding this year, might be the only specialist spinner. Jasprit Bumrah, a man of big moments and a proven match winner, might lead the pace department. Other choices include youthful players Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana. Additionally, it would be intriguing to see if fan favourites like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh, who aren’t currently playing in T20Is, may be chosen or not. After three ODIs between the Champions Trophy 2025 finalists, who would also include ODI only mainstays Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the five match T20I series against New Zealand would begin on January 21.
(With Inputs From ANI)
