Team India is currently in red-hot form ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. As the defending champion, the team will enter the title race as one of the favourites to claim the title. As we know, every team has two aspects—positive and negative.
The positivity helps the team propel to success, while the negative points guide the team for improvement. Team India is also not an expectation. This article will help the readers to find out the strong points and weak links of Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
3 Reasons Why India Will Definitely NOT Win the T20 World Cup 2026:
1. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah’s injury fears:
The fear of injuries remains a constant threat for Team India. The packed cricketing schedule often exposes the players to injury, which can prove fatal during important moments. For example, Hardik Pandya was injured during the Asia Cup 2025.
Jasprit Bumrah is also among those impactful players who had to deal with injury problems. For a long tournament, like the T20 World Cup 2026, the team management will have to manage the workload of each player to maintain an average strength on paper. Tilak Varma, who underwent surgery, is yet to recover full fitness. In-form batter Ishan Kishan also faced a niggle during the India vs. New Zealand T20I series, which might not be too serious.
2. Sanju Samson vs. Ishan Kishan battle to ruin team balance:
Gautam Gambhir and Co. have been actively engaged to find the best possible team combination. But did they hit the bull’s-eye yet? Out-of-form Sanju Samson is a serious case to discuss ahead of the tournament. As Ishan Kishan has done well so far since his international return, the pressure is on Samson. The battle between these two keeper-batters can prove enough to disturb the team balance.
3. An ultra-aggressive approach may backfire on big occasions:
Indian batters have the tendency to bat with an ultra-aggressive approach, which might look stylish and effective on batting-friendly surfaces, but equally dangerous if the batters fail to deliver under challenging situations. All of the batters need to perform with extra caution to avoid any unnecessary situations.
5 Reasons Why India Will Definitely Win the T20 World Cup 2026:
1. Abhishek Sharma’s stellar form:
The explosive form of Abhishek Sharma surely provides the team with much more relief ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. In the ongoing India vs. New Zealand T20I series, the opener so far has displayed a flamboyant form. Whenever he took off, India got wins against the Kiwis.
| Date | Opponent | Format | Location | Runs | Balls | SR | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan 2026 | NZ | T20I | Nagpur | 84 | 35 | 240.00 | c Jamieson b Sodhi |
| 23 Jan 2026 | NZ | T20I | Raipur | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | c Conway b Duffy |
| 25 Jan 2026 | NZ | T20I | Guwahati | 68* | 20 | 340.00 | not out |
| 28 Jan 2026 | NZ | T20I | Visakhapatnam | 0 | 1 | 0 | c Conway b Henry |
2. Suryakumar Yadav’s return to form:
Right before the T20 World Cup 2026, the skipper himself brought back his vintage batting form. In the last 4 T20Is, the middle-order batter smashed two half-centuries (82* and 57*) for winning efforts.
3. Varun Chakravarthy breathing fire:
The number 1 T20I bowler, Varun Chakravarthy, is breathing fire ahead of the marquee event. Whenever he played for India in the recent past, the spinner got wickets. Against New Zealand, in two matches, he got 3 wickets. During their encounter against South Africa, Chakravarthy claimed 10 scalps in 4 matches as well.
4. No overreliance on a single player:
Overreliance on a particular player can lead a team to disaster. But for India, the case is not like that. The team is performing as a unit, which is a pretty good sign ahead of the tournament. The three wins against New Zealand came through team efforts. The middle order is particularly looking in good shape.
5. All bases covered in the squad, with plenty of big match experience:
Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, or Varun Chakravarthy—the squad is filled with match-experienced candidates; they know the format very well. Even the emerging players like Abhishek Sharma and Rinku Singh also have plenty of experience playing in T20s.
Read More: India coach hints at end of Sanju Samson’s career ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
