All posts tagged: 2026 t20 world cup

Felt ‘very sad’ about having to drop Jitesh Sharma from 2026 T20 World Cup squad, went with Ishan Kishan on gut, says Suryakumar Yadav | Cricket News

Felt ‘very sad’ about having to drop Jitesh Sharma from 2026 T20 World Cup squad, went with Ishan Kishan on gut, says Suryakumar Yadav | Cricket News

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 16, 2026 03:45 PM IST Ishan Kishan was a last-minute addition to the Indian team for the 2026 T20 World Cup and the move paid dividends, to put it lightly. Kishan was in red-hot form in domestic cricket and simply continued on that on his return to international cricket after a two-year absence in the T20I series against New Zealand, which had preceded the T20 World Cup. In the tournament itself, Kishan finished as India’s second highest run scorer behind Samson and was arguably the most reliable cog in the batting lineup throughout the tournament. Kishan scored 317 runs in nine innings at an astonishing strike rate of 193.29 with three half-centuries to show. India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that they had gone for Kishan on the basis of their gut feel as much as the numbers.  The flip side of it was that Jitesh Sharma, who had been performing consistently until then as India’s backup wicketkeeper, had to make way which Suryakumar admitted was unfair. “It was completely on gut, little …

‘The meme is true; if there’s a Mallu in the team, India will never lose’ – Varun Chakaravarthy on Sanju ‘chetta’ Samson | Cricket News

‘The meme is true; if there’s a Mallu in the team, India will never lose’ – Varun Chakaravarthy on Sanju ‘chetta’ Samson | Cricket News

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2 min readUpdated: Mar 16, 2026 01:49 PM IST For Varun Chakaravarthy, finishing as top wicket taker at the T20 World Cup, alongside the talsmanic Jasprit Bumrah was the happiest moment. But the true miracle, the humble bowler would say at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) awards night on Sunday, was watching Sanju “chetta” Samson, and how he went about shepherding India’s three 200+ totals in last their last three knockout matches. “There’s a meme that’s gotten popular. It says, ‘If there’s a Mallu involved in a World Cup we never lose. It’s true. The masterstroke was getting him back into the XI,” Chakaravarthy said. Personally, after 2021, Chakaravarthy hadn’t imagined this would be the story. Chakaravarthy was pretty much out of reckoning for selection to the Indian team for a lengthy period after a forgettable outing in the 2021 T20 World Cup, in which India had failed to make it to the knockouts. “If someone had asked me where we would be in next 5 years, you wouldn’t imagine this,” …

Told Abhishek that you are not out of form, you are just out of runs: Gambhir | Cricket News

Told Abhishek that you are not out of form, you are just out of runs: Gambhir | Cricket News

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3 min readMar 15, 2026 05:20 PM IST India head coach Gautam Gambhir said that he drew on some of his own experience as an opener to get Abhishek Sharma up and running in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Abhishek’s tournament had been thrown into disarray after he was forced to pay the hospital a visit due to a severe stomach infection. He ended up not scoring a single run in the group stage and failed to make too big a difference in the Super Eights and semifinal. However, Abhishek set the tone in the final against New Zealand with a 98-run opening partnership with Sanju Samson. Gambhir pointed out that he had a similar experience at the start of the 2014 season of the Indian Premier League, in which he led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title for a second time. “I’ve had a worse experience than him in 2014 during the IPL, when I got three ducks in a row and then another in the fourth game as well. All I told him …

Abhishek Sharma finds ‘a huge fan’ in ex-Australia World Cup winner: ‘You’d think he is under pressure but these are the guys you want…’ | Cricket News

Abhishek Sharma finds ‘a huge fan’ in ex-Australia World Cup winner: ‘You’d think he is under pressure but these are the guys you want…’ | Cricket News

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 14, 2026 01:49 PM IST Abhishek Sharma’s 2026 T20 World Cup campaign had a bit of everything. He came into the tournament on the back of some red-hot form and then but a stomach infection that landed him in the hospital early in the tournament wreaked havoc on his performances in the next few games. Abhishek ended up not scoring a single run in the group stage and got scores of 15, 55, 10 and nine in the Super Eights and semifinal. However, Abhishek then played a crucial role in India’s win in the final by scoring 52 in 21 balls as part of a 98-run opening stand with Sanju Samson that came in just 7.1 overs. Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin has said that Abhishek is the kind of player you want in the big moments. “I’m a huge fan of Abhishek, and there was a lot of talk about his position throughout the tournament,” Haddin, who was an integral part of Australia’s 2015 World Cup-winning squad, said on the Willow …

Rahul Dravid to receive BCCI Lifetime Achievement award; Shubman Gill named Cricketer of the Year | Cricket News

Rahul Dravid to receive BCCI Lifetime Achievement award; Shubman Gill named Cricketer of the Year | Cricket News

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2 min readMar 12, 2026 09:24 AM IST Former India captain-turned-coach Rahul Dravid will be conferred with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the BCCI’s annual Naman Awards, scheduled to be held in Delhi on March 15. Along with Dravid, Shubman Gill will receive the Cricketer of the Year award, while Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre will be recognised for his performances with the Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-rounder in domestic limited-overs cricket. The BCCI is also contemplating bestowing former India captain Mithali Raj with a lifetime award. Suryakumar Yadav Interview | ‘Axar was angry when dropped… I gave Abhishek Sharma guarantee he’ll face 1st ball in the final’ Dravid was part of India’s famed ‘Big Four’ batting line-up along with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. Contemporaries and commentators have often rated him as one of the finest Test batsmen of his generation and among the greatest of all time. The 53-year-old was an integral part of an Indian batting line-up that helped shed the tag of being easy opponents away …

Back-to-back T20 World Cup wins the ‘best moment in Indian cricket history’ says Sunil Gavaskar: ‘It takes skill, not luck’ | Cricket News

Back-to-back T20 World Cup wins the ‘best moment in Indian cricket history’ says Sunil Gavaskar: ‘It takes skill, not luck’ | Cricket News

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2 min readMar 9, 2026 02:25 PM IST India became the first team to succesfully defend their men’s T20 World Cup title with a comprehensive win over New Zealand in the final on Sunday. With it, India also became the most succesfull team in the history of tournament, going past the two titles that West Indies and England had won. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar noted that winning ICC trophies in general is a different ball game compared to bilateral series and this is the greatest moment in the country’s cricket history. “India’s trophy cabinet is quite full now,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports. “Winning ICC trophies is not easy. Bilateral dominance is different. ICC tournaments have zero margin for error. You must bring your best every game. “It takes skill, not luck. The pressure is huge and these players represent over a billion people when they step on the field. No team has won back-to-back T20 World Cups and defending a title is tough. Opposition teams come well prepared. “Winning the T20 World Cup …

WATCH: Arshdeep Singh defuses tension with Daryl Mitchell after T20 World Cup final with heartfelt apology | Cricket News

WATCH: Arshdeep Singh defuses tension with Daryl Mitchell after T20 World Cup final with heartfelt apology | Cricket News

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2 min readUpdated: Mar 9, 2026 12:35 PM IST Heated moments don’t come around too often in cricket matches involving New Zealand but there was one during their 2026 T20 World Cup final against India on Sunday in Ahmedabad. Daryl Mitchell was left livid when India pacer Arshdeep Singh threw the ball back at him in his follow through and then walked back without apologising. Arshdeep apologised at the end of the over but after the game, he offered a more heartfelt apology to the New Zealand batting all-rounder which could be seen in a video posted by the BlackCaps’ Instagram handle. “I know I can apologise as much as I can but, really sorry,” Arshdeep can be heard telling Mitchell in the video before the pair shake hands and then share a chuckle. Arshdeep then spoke about it in an interview with the broadcasters. When commentator Harsha Bhogle pointed out that Arshdeep ran away briefly just as he was about to chat, the latter said: “Just went to apologise to Mitchell. My throw reverse-swung …

Mohsin Naqvi’s ‘advisors’ blamed for Pakistan’s T20 World Cup exit: ‘Team has failed to qualify in 4 consecutive tournaments’ | Cricket News

Mohsin Naqvi’s ‘advisors’ blamed for Pakistan’s T20 World Cup exit: ‘Team has failed to qualify in 4 consecutive tournaments’ | Cricket News

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3 min readMar 1, 2026 05:14 PM IST Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 2026 T20 World Cup after being unable to restrict Sri Lanka to 148 or below in their last Super 8 encounter at Pallekele. This meant that Pakistan have been unable to qualify for semifinals in four consecutive big ICC tournaments, starting with the 2023 ODI World Cup, then the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy. Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has targeted Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi’s advisors and his team for the systematic failure in the board and the need to have right support around Naqvi to guide Pakistan cricket. “I have nothing against Mohsin Naqvi. From what I hear, he is a good person. He is one of the most powerful chairmen in Pakistan’s cricket history. He has influence, resources and authority. But if he cannot build a strong management structure, and the team has failed to qualify in four consecutive tournaments, then something is seriously wrong within the board. I understand that …

Saqlain Mushtaq blames Pakistan coach Mike Hesson for Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz flopping at T20 World Cup | Cricket News

Saqlain Mushtaq blames Pakistan coach Mike Hesson for Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz flopping at T20 World Cup | Cricket News

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4 min readMar 1, 2026 04:47 PM IST Pakistan’s all-rounders Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz have been criticised for their performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament after failing to beat Sri Lanka by a big margin in their final Super Eights game on Saturday and head coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha have been under fire for their calls. Pakistan spin great Saqlain Mushtaq has said that Hesson is largely responsible for Shadab and Nawaz’s failures. Pakistan played both all-rounders in all their matches. “There are different types of all-rounders in the world. There is a bowling all-rounder and there is a batting all-rounder and there is one complete all-rounder. I have mentioned it before also,” said Mushtaq on the show Tapmad. “In the Pakistan team, whichever all-rounders were picked up from the resources, I think in the case of Shadab and Nawaz, what their role was? If you see the stats, who were their wickets taking bowlers. First Usman Tariq did not play initially …

‘Let’s have some fun’: When MS Dhoni turned the tables and became a reporter to answer his retirement question | Cricket News

‘Let’s have some fun’: When MS Dhoni turned the tables and became a reporter to answer his retirement question | Cricket News

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3 min readMar 1, 2026 03:01 PM IST Retirement had already become a theme around MS Dhoni long before that famous press conference in 2016. In fact, it had begun with a moment that stunned Indian cricket. In December 2014, midway through a Test series in Australia, Dhoni abruptly stepped away from Test cricket. There had been no long farewell tour, no build-up, no grand goodbye. One day, he was India’s Test captain; the next, he had called time on the format entirely. It was classic Dhoni – decisive, unexpected and entirely on his own terms. But if that decision closed one chapter, it also quietly sharpened focus on what remained. Limited-overs cricket was now his domain, and there was one tournament in particular he had in mind. After India’s campaign ended in the 2015 ODI World Cup semifinal in Australia, Dhoni had hinted that the next big goal was clear: the 2016 T20 World Cup at home. India would host the event, and it felt like a stage perfectly set for one more run …