Former India cricketer Anil Kumble believes that India’s team for the T20 World Cup 2026 is strong but not as strong as the team that won the previous edition. The former captain said that the Suryakumar Yadav-led team will miss the experience and presence of senior stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
India won the T20 World Cup in 2024, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC title. The team captained by Rohit Sharma defeated South Africa in the final. Senior players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20Is. He played a vital role in the entire title winning campaign.
He will miss Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – Anil Kumble
Speaking on the Out of the Park show, Anil Kumble was asked to compare India’s T20 World Cup 2026 team with the team that wins the 2024 title. Kumble said he would keep the 2024 team up by about 10 per cent and said the current team would miss the experience of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Anil Kumble said, “If you talk about experience, they will miss Virat and Rohit, the two legends, but if you talk about balance, I think this team is also good because you have bowling options and batting is different in terms of approach at the top.”
“However, it is still going to be challenging. 2024 was very different in terms of conditions. I would probably put the 2024 team probably 10 percent ahead of this team, but I still think this team is very close to it,” he said.
Suryakumar Yadav will be very important – Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble said India will need a player who can perform well in pressure situations in the T20 World Cup 2026, just like Virat Kohli did with Axar Patel in the 2024 final. He said that Suryakumar Yadav can help India win at crucial moments during the tournament.
Kumble replied, “Those are the moments where you can’t really take the experience away. That’s where I think someone like Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) will be very important. Yes, in terms of form, he will be important, but also to ensure that those clutch moments are won by India.”
In the final of the T20 World Cup 2024, Kohli scored 76 runs from 59 balls as India defeated South Africa by seven runs. After India were reduced to 34/3, Kohli saved the team by sharing a 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel, who contributed 47 runs off 31 balls.
Team India will start the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign from February 7.
T20 World Cup 2026 will be played in India and Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March. The defending champions have been drawn in Group A along with Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands and the United States of America (USA).
India have several options at the top of the order, including Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. The middle order consists of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma and Rinku Singh.
The team also offers strong all-round depth. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dubey and Hardik Pandya provide balance with both bat and ball, especially in the lower middle order.
India are likely to field a bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy. Depending on the conditions, the team may include Kuldeep Yadav to add to the spin department or Harshit Rana to strengthen the pace department.
Also read: Ishan Kishan targets Rohit Sharma for dropping him from the team
