All posts tagged: india t20 world cup 2026 squad

Why Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan could make history in T20 World Cup as an all-left-handed opening duo

Why Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan could make history in T20 World Cup as an all-left-handed opening duo

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5 min readNew DelhiFeb 6, 2026 09:09 PM IST India’s supersonic batting smarts had briefly disappeared on the road to the 2026 T20 World Cup, but Suryakumar Yadav’s men have course-corrected in recent weeks, emerging as the most ruthless group entering the tournament. Positivity has been gushing across departments in the 20 months since the last title triumph in the Caribbean. As they bid for home title defence, India will also attempt to storm past a few historical inhibitions. In sending two left-handers, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, to open against the USA in Mumbai on Saturday, India will challenge the perennial cricketing bias, overriding the excessive chatter around the supposed batting combination. T20 WORLD CUP PREVIEW: How Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav made India and T20 soulmates to trigger a grand transformation Abhishek and the resurgent Kishan are set to officially open for the first time together for India at the Wankhede Stadium, as India back individual form over rigid conventions. There is also a rare proclivity for domination — six of India’s top …

Mohammed Siraj to replace injured Harshit Rana in T20 World Cup squad | Cricket News

Mohammed Siraj to replace injured Harshit Rana in T20 World Cup squad | Cricket News

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2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Feb 6, 2026 03:12 PM IST Indian pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of ICC T20 World Cup and selectors are likely to name Md Siraj as his replacement in the evening, sources confirmed to The Indian Express. The team management was informed about Harshit’s troubles on Thursday evening. Though Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav said in a PC that his ace all-rounder was not ruled out yet, sources confirmed to The Indian Express that the pacer will not be fit to participate in the World Cup. “Harshit Rana hasn’t been ruled out yet, physios are assessing him but he doesn’t look good,” Surya had said in a pre match conference where India face USA in their World Cup opener. Yadav was asked again whether it will be a big blow if the pacer misses out. “It’s a big blow because of the combination we make keeping in mind 15 players. If he misses out we will definitely miss him. We have enough options. We shall look at the replacements of …

Quick Comment: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson in playing XI is no longer a debate | Cricket News

Quick Comment: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson in playing XI is no longer a debate | Cricket News

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4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Feb 4, 2026 09:15 PM IST At the T20 World Cup squad announcement press conference back in December, India captain Suryakumar Yadav was unequivocal about one thing. For India to maximise their impact at the top of the order in their World Cup defence, they needed an explosive wicketkeeper-batter who could seize the powerplay and put opposition bowlers under immediate pressure. For a while, it appeared that India was reverting to a familiar template. Sanju Samson, fresh off a productive run after the 2024 T20 World Cup, seemed the natural fit for that role. His ability to play pace early, target the straight boundaries and keep the scoreboard moving had made him a dependable option, and many expected him to walk into the XI as the designated aggressor at the top. A few days before the tournament opener, however, the narrative has shifted sharply. Ishan Kishan, who has made a stupendous comeback to international cricket in the recent series against New Zealand, seized the spotlight once again, this time in the warm-up …

Former India pacer credits selectors for rewarding domestic performance

Former India pacer credits selectors for rewarding domestic performance

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2 min readFeb 1, 2026 04:40 PM IST Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has credited Indian selectors for taking the harsh call of not picking Shubman Gill and rewarding the domestic performances of Ishan Kishan. The left-hander was a part of the five T20I matches against New Zealand ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup and scored a swashbuckling hundred in the fifth match on Saturday. Kishan made a comeback into the Indian team fold after being out for two years. He had topped the run-scoring charts at the 2025-26 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. “The selectors deserve credit for bringing back Ishan Kishan on the back of his domestic performances. They deserve credit because it’s not easy because you drop a player like Shubman Gill and then you draft Kishan, who performed in domestic cricket. He took advantage of that chance and made it count. “When these things happen, everything went right for Kishan and selectors deserve equal credit. The way Kishan batted, especially hitting Ish Sodhi for 29 runs in an …

IND vs NZ | The method behind Abhishek Sharma’s mayhem: ‘Planned, not reckless’ | Cricket News

IND vs NZ | The method behind Abhishek Sharma’s mayhem: ‘Planned, not reckless’ | Cricket News

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Two first-ball ducks; two supersonic half-centuries. Extremes have defined Abhishek Sharma’s series against New Zealand. When the pattern was put forth to batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, he stifled a chuckle and then debunked the public perception of his batting. “He is someone who plays a lot of shots, but his shots don’t seem like slogging,” he explained. “He is playing more on the merit of the ball. I feel it’s very important when you are an aggressive batsman, and you are trying to play maximum shots on the merit of the ball,” he added. Almost every attacking stroke is essayed with a straight bat, or when he goes horizontal, he goes fully horizontal. He doesn’t swipe across the line or move exaggeratedly in the crease. “He is a clever batsman,” the coach pointed out and revealed an example. “In the second game, he got out playing big on the square leg. So in the third game, when he batted, if you look at the way he approached that innings, he was prepared. He was planning …

‘Shubman Gill is a vice-captain, what is the reason for dropping him…’: Yograj Singh blasts India selectors for T20 World Cup drop | Cricket News

‘Shubman Gill is a vice-captain, what is the reason for dropping him…’: Yograj Singh blasts India selectors for T20 World Cup drop | Cricket News

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India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill will be missing the T20 World Cup for the second consecutive time in his career, having been dropped from the squad despite being vice-captain to Suryakumar Yadav. Gill, who scored a total of 291 runs at a strike rate of 137.26 in T20I format last year, remains captain in the other two formats and former India all-rounder Yograj Singh has questioned the move to remove him from the shortest format. “Shubman Gill is a vice-captain. What is the reason behind dropping him? Just because he failed in 4-5 innings? Indian cricketers have had so many players who have barely managed to perform in 10 matches out of 100 opportunities.They still played; you already know the reason why. Young Abhishek Sharma arrived a couple of years ago. If he fails four innings will you drop him as well?,” Yograj Singh said in an interview with Ravish Bisht. Gill, who was part of the Indian T20 team for the Asia Cup last year, had amassed a total of 650 runs …

BCCI Announce India T20 World Cup​ 2026 Full Squad, Players List, Captain and Vice Captain Name

BCCI Announce India T20 World Cup​ 2026 Full Squad, Players List, Captain and Vice Captain Name

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Indian team in action. (FILE photo) India​ Squad for T20 World Cup 2026 Live Updates: All eyes will be on the selectors as they pick the squad for the T20 World Cup 2027, which is set to start on February 7, 2026. As this publication has reported earlier, the major talking points will centre on the form of Shubman Gill and who among Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh will get the nod ahead. The current vice-captain of the T20I side, Gill, has been brought into the T20I side after a fruitful Test series in England. He replaced Sanju Samson, who was in superb form. However, Gill, who has been opening since the Asia Cup in September, has given quite average returns and is yet to score a half-century in 15 innings. Story continues below this ad The other point of discussion will be around whether the selectors want to go with Rinku or Sundar. With the tournament played in the subcontinent, if the Head Coach Gautam Gambhir is happy with the finishers Hardik Pandya and …