The ICC T20 World Cup is knocking at the door, and all the teams are gearing up for a blockbuster tournament, the latest squads for the ICC tournament have been announced. India will enter the edition as the favourites; However, some players have an excellent record while playing in India, who can single-handedly cause a big upset for India.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 begins on February 7 and India will begin their campaign against the USA. India have been drawn in Group A of the World Cup group-stage games with smaller teams. Pakistan, America, Namibia and Netherlands are in their group.
The Indians will not be intimidated by any of the players from these countries, however, as they progress to the next stage of the World Cup tournament, they are likely to meet tough opponents in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. All of these opponents have cricketers who boast extensive records against the Men in Blue.
3 dangerous cricketers who can cause a big upset for India in ICC T20 World Cup 2026:
3. Daryl Mitchell
The New Zealand right-handed middle-order batsman is largely known as an excellent ODI batsman. He has proven time and again that he can be reliable in the 50-over format; However, his impact has not been as effective in the shortest format of the game.
Mitchell, who bats lower down the order in T20, is still a threat to the Indian bowlers as the batsman is in incredible form on Indian pitches. Combining figures from all three formats of the game, Mitchell has scored 1306 runs in just 35 matches against India, his second highest against any opponent.
His average is 40.81 and he has scored 4 centuries against them. He scored 1400 runs while playing in India, including the ICC World Cup 2023. Mitchell scored 1400 runs in just 30 matches at an average of 50.
2. Quinton de Kock
After Daryl Mitchell, who has not played in the Indian subcontinent for many years and is an emerging threat, South African cricketer Quinton de Kock has had a long love affair with India. Whenever De Kock comes to India, he surprises everyone with some brilliant strokeplay.
Unlike Daryl Mitchell, Quinton de Kock is an equally explosive batsman in the shortest format of the game, where he usually bats in his usual position at the top. De Kock recently scored a brilliant century against West Indies in Centurion.
Talking about De Kock’s statistics, the batsman has played 40 matches in India and has scored 1855 runs at an average of 46.37 and an excellent strike rate of 110.41. De Kock has scored 31 centuries in his international career, 16 of which have come in South Africa and 8, the second best, in India.
Playing against India across all formats, De Kock scored 1980 runs in 45 matches, the third most in his career against any opponent after Sri Lanka and England. De Kock averages around 50 against India in T20 and bats at a strike rate of 150+.
1. Travis Head
The most explosive. Once this guy gets going, everyone knows the match has slipped out of their grasp. Travis Head, one of the most explosive and consistent performers for Australia in recent years, loves batting against India.
It was because of Head that the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team lost the ICC World Test Champions 2023 Final, the ICC World Cup 2023 Final and ultimately could win the Champions Trophy semi-final, as Head was sent back early in that match.
Travis Head’s innings needs no help; He can single-handedly destroy a team’s chances of winning a game and secure it for the Australian team. Having played 39 times against India, he has scored 1901 runs at an average of around 42 and a strike rate of over 100.
Playing in India, Head has scored 923 runs in 22 matches, including the infamous century in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 final. Travis Head was not only the player of the match, but he was also a nightmare for millions of Indian fans.
Also Read: Fact Check: Will England, Australia boycott T20 World Cup 2026 due to Nipah virus fear?
