The India national cricket team is heading into the T20 World Cup 2026 with a powerful mix of firepower and balance, and renowned commentator Aakash Chopra believes bowling could be the biggest weapon for the Men in Blue in their title defence.
The Men in Blue have been placed in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2026, and their campaign begins against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, February 7.
Varun Chakravarthy overtakes Jasprit Bumrah as India’s bowling trump card
Ahead of the opening of the tournament, Aakash Chopra has described India’s bowling attack as one of the strongest in the T20 World Cup 2026 but also mentioned that Jasprit Bumrah, seen as the best bowler across all formats in world cricket, is no longer the number one bowler.
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The former Indian batsman admitted that Varun Chakravarthy, who currently tops the ICC T20I bowling rankings, will give the team a big lead in the middle overs. The threat also includes Arshdeep Singh, who will be a reliable option at the start and death.
“The No. 1 T20I bowler in the world is here, and he is not Bumrah, he is Varun Chakravarthy. We have him, and with him, Jasprit Bumrah. That makes it your eight-over bank. Then you have Arshdeep Singh, who has taken the most T20I wickets for India,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra praised India’s all-round strength
The cricket pundit also pointed out that the defending champions are equally involved in the all-rounder department. Aakash Chopra described Axar Patel as an “incredible all-rounder” to provide India control with both bat and ball, while he described Hardik Pandya as “the best all-rounder in the world”, adding that he adds match-winning impact and experience.
He also talked about how Shivam Dubey has become a reliable option, especially with his improved bowling and power-hitting. Batting depth is another major strength for the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian cricket team in the showpiece event.
Why should rivals fear India’s batting line-up?
Chopra said the Men in Blue have real batting strength up to No.8. The Indian batting line-up is loaded with explosive names like Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Rinku Singh and Axar Patel.
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And the commentator has called this batting line-up a “serious batting powerhouse” and mentioned that this depth allows the team to play fearless cricket across the format.
Aakash Chopra said, “If we talk about batting depth, you have a proper batsman available till No. 8. If we actually look at that position, it is Axar Patel. It is a pleasure to have Axar Patel batting at No. 8. How is that possible? But India is capable of doing that, and in that too, all the batsmen hit sixes and play a different brand of cricket. They are absolutely fearless and reckless. Whoever comes, he hits.”
With world-class bowlers, quality all-rounders and an aggressive batting lineup, the former cricketer feels India are well placed to defend their T20 World Cup title on home soil.
