Team India's T20 World Cup squad (Source:@BCCI/x.com)
Indian fans may be glued to the fiery Test series vs South Africa, but the buzz for the T20 World Cup is already roaring louder than ever. As the marquee event is set to take place in India, all the upcoming T20I series have become extremely crucial to check the strength to step into the big stage.
Ahead of the mega event, Team India will play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand earlier next year. Reports hint that the same squad could march straight into the 2026 T20 World Cup, making this series a preview of India’s future firepower.
Team India is likely to trust their NZ T20I unit for the T20 World Cup challenge
After lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy on Caribbean soil, India’s T20I squad has gone through some major changes. With some of the stars bidding goodbye to the format, some of the youngsters showcased their promises to become India’s next T20 sensation. As the next edition of the marquee tournament is knocking on the door, they are set to take on the challenges.
As the tournament is set to start in February 2026, the Men in Blue will face the New Zealand side in a five-match T20I series ahead of that. As per the reports, Team India is likely to play the 2026 T20 World Cup with the same squad used in the T20I series against the Kiwis.
In the T20 World Cup 2024 and the Champions Trophy 2025, BCCI followed the same template. With only a handful of T20Is left before the 2026 World Cup, sweeping changes are nearly impossible.
Speaking to the PTI, a source opened up about proceeding with the same squad in the T20 World Cup. The source said, “With only 10 T20Is left before the T20 World Cup, you won’t see many changes happening in the squad proper unless someone is ruled out due to any specific injury. One of the biggest reasons being continuity, and the 15 chosen for the series against the Black Caps won’t be tinkered with because of the short turnaround time.”
The T20I series against South Africa will be India’s final sheet of correction
After completing the ODI series against South Africa, Team India will face the Proteas in a five-match T20I series starting from December 9. After that, they will face the Kiwis in the shortest format straight into next year.
With so little time left, the South Africa series now becomes the final blueprint for Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir to assess India’s true strength before the big stage. After the ODI World Cup in 2011, Team India has not won any ICC trophies on home soil. With the tournament taking place in India, the Men in Blue have a great chance to end the drought.
.jpg?type=mq "Dinesh Karthik gives his verdict on Guwahati pitch")
