The Indian National Men’s Selection Committee recently announced the final 15-man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup, and after seeing some significant changes, here is the probable playing XI for the World Cup.
Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan returned to the Indian team on the strength of their SMAT dominance. Jharkhand’s left-handed batsman Ishan Kishan, in particular, dominated at the top and led Jharkhand to the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. He was also the highest run-scorer in SMAT 2025 and scored two centuries.
India’s 15-member team: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel (VC), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), and Rinku Singh.
India have to settle for Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as openers
India may not make any changes to Abhishek Sharma’s starting position. The left-handed batsman has scored 1000+ runs in less than 30 matches since his debut and is the second fastest player to do so for India. He bats at a career strike rate of around 180 and has performed well in the toughest conditions for India.
Abhishek will be paired with second wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson, whose form had seen a dip after being removed from his usual spot at the top of the order. However, Samson played in the final T20 against South Africa and helped India gain momentum early in the innings by making a half-century partnership with Abhishek.
Hence, the starting spot remains guaranteed, with Ishan Kishan serving as a backup as he could also be a potential opening batsman if India needs to drop Sanju Samson due to injuries or form.
All-rounders form power-packed middle-order for India
Tilak Verma and captain Suryakumar Yadav will be the two batsmen in rotation between the top order and middle order. Despite Surya’s poor performance in international cricket, he will continue to be a part of the team as its captain.
The middle order has some firepower in the form of three all-rounders Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey. These three are the three players who have also played the last World Cup in 2024.
Hardik Pandya made a strong comeback in the series against South Africa, as he took a few wickets and also scored two half-centuries with the bat. Since the Australia tour, Shivam Dubey has also performed brilliantly with the ball.
Pace and spin together form a balanced bowling deck for India
Gautam Gambhir’s strategy seems to have given India an excellent bowling deck, with the two highest wicket-takers from the last T20 World Cup leading the deck. The pace attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
Varun Chakravarthy, India’s most successful T20I spinner in recent times, will be paired with World Cup-winning spinner Kuldeep Yadav as the tournament is played in the subcontinent.
India’s playing XI: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty and Jasprit Bumrah.
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