Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has dropped a bomb on the Gautam Gambhir vs Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma controversy As defending champions India gear up for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil, expectations are rising and pressure is rising by the day.
Graeme Smith decodes the dynamics of Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
No team in history has managed to defend a T20 World Cup title, and doing so at home will make the challenge even tougher for the defending champions. Playing in front of a passionate home crowd brings a lot of expectations and India will feel that pressure from the very first match.
Apart from this challenge, the main focus is on how the new leadership, which includes head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, who is gearing up for his maiden World Cup, will handle the situation without the experience of their iconic leaders Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
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Smith pointed out that Indian cricket is currently going through a sensitive transition, where the influence and vision of Gautam Gambhir, and the role of established leaders like Kohli and Rohit will define their new era. Taking a dig at the relationship between the coach and the senior pair, the former Proteas skipper felt that this phase is a bit difficult for India but is also exciting to watch.
Graeme Smith’s “interesting change” decision and prediction for India in ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Despite the changing leadership structure and the burden of history and expectations, India are seen as a strong contender as the team still has talented batsmen, match-winning bowlers and depth in all departments. And Smith made it clear that if they do not reach at least the semi-finals of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, it will be a big surprise for them.
Graeme Smith was quoted by the Times of India as saying in a select media interaction on the sidelines of the SA20: “Listen, with the talent India have, you can never ignore them. It’s a home World Cup. And it seems to be an interesting transition period in Indian cricket, you know, between Gautam Gambhir and the senior players and, you know, who’s next and how that transition happens.”
And it seems to be in an interesting place. So, it will be good to see how things go. But certainly, from a talent point of view, India, I would be very surprised if they are not at least in the last four.
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Graeme Smith wants to repeat India vs South Africa final in ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Meanwhile, Smith wants a repeat of the last edition’s final between India and South Africa this time too. He said the Proteas team has the right mix to challenge the hosts, especially with players capable of handling the spin-heavy conditions in India, and is hopeful that his national teams will flip the script this time on March 8, 2026.
He concluded, “Obviously, I want us to beat India in the final, you know (laughs)… I think if Shukri and the team can get their combinations right, I think there’s a real chance that the team can do very well. And, you know, I think there’s enough quality to play spin in the middle order, especially in India. So, hopefully, you know, a good World Cup is around the corner.”
