India’s worst performance in T20 World Cup 2026

India created history by winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and becoming champion three times. The Men in Blue became the first team to win and defend the T20 World Cup on home soil after defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

While the third T20 World Cup title win brought joy to the fans, the tournament also highlighted the struggles of some big Indian players who failed to perform consistently and faced heavy criticism like Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.

3. Varun Chakraborty

India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy took 14 wickets in the tournament and finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker. However, there were two completely different phases of his performance.

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In the early matches against smaller teams and Pakistan, Varun looked almost unstoppable and took wickets regularly at an amazing strike rate of 5.17. But things changed in the Super 8 and knockout games, as the mystery spinner started scoring runs at an economy of 11.63 while taking only 4 wickets.

His spell against England in the semi-final was particularly costly, where he conceded 64 runs in four overs, one of the most expensive spells in T20 World Cup history.

2. Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma enters the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as the world No. 1 ranked T20I batsman. Expectations were high, but his campaign got off to the worst possible start. The young Indian opener failed to score a single run in the first round and was out for a duck against the United States, Pakistan and Netherlands. He did not play a match due to illness.

This was the first time in the history of the T20 World Cup that a batsman started his campaign by getting out for a duck three times in a row. Rival teams quickly sensed the left-handed batsman’s weakness against spin bowling and used off-spinners early on to trouble him.

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Due to their continuous failures, India’s batting order faced immense pressure. Even Abhishek was under immense pressure and many experts also questioned his place in the playing eleven. However, Abhishek ultimately performed well in the final against New Zealand.

He played fearless cricket and scored a quick half-century in just 18 balls, which became one of the fastest half-centuries in a T20 World Cup knockout match. His explosive innings silenced his critics and helped India post a big score and eventually win the cup.

1. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav achieved a major feat by becoming the third Indian captain to win the T20 World Cup. However, the batting form of the Indian captain disappointed many. Apart from a brilliant inning of 84 against USA in the group stage, Suryakumar struggled to score runs.

The stylish batsman’s performances in the Super 8 stage and knockout games were well below expectations. He was out cheaply in the semi-finals against England and the final against New Zealand, which put additional pressure on the middle order.

Suryakumar scored 242 runs at an average of 30.25 and strike rate of 171 in the T20 World Cup 2026. Despite winning the title, the captain faced heavy criticism for not playing big innings.