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Not Gill Or Samson! Raina Surprises With His Pick For India’s Openers For 2026 T20 World Cup

Poulomi Chakraborty

Suresh Raina's Pick For T20 World Cup 2026 (Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/x.com, @LoyalSachinFan/x.com)Suresh Raina's Pick For T20 World Cup 2026 (Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/x.com, @LoyalSachinFan/x.com)

As Team India is going through a revolutionary phase, the road to the 2026 T20I World Cup has already begun. Shifting focus to young talents while sharpening their skills, Team India is eyeing redemption in the mega event.

Ahead of the tournament, former Indian batter Suresh Raina was asked to pick openers for India. His unexpected choices sparked buzz.

Raina Picks Openers For 2026 T20 World Cup

After lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup Trophy, Team India is going through a transitional phase as the youngsters are taking responsibilities to carry on the legacy. As the T20 mega event will come back next year, Team India will be playing with a young squad without stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Filled with young match winners, picking the perfect opening duo can be a sweet headache for the team management.

With KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Abhishek Sharma already in the mix, Suresh Raina surprised many by adding Punjab Kings opener Priyansh Arya to the list. Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel, Raina’s opening picks sparked buzz.

“I think…mujhe lagta hai Yashasvi ek hai (Yashasvi is one). They can also look for Priyansh Arya; Abhishek Sharma is there, and Sanju Samson is there. KL Rahul is also there. He has performed wherever he got a chance. Ruturaj Gaikwad has also scored many runs. But I would prefer Abhishek Sharma. Shubman Gill can be captain as well; you never know,” he said.


“Mujhe lagta hai inko I think Yashasvi Jaiswal, Priyansh Arya aur Abhishek Sharma – teeno leftie mein se 2 koi ho sakte hain. Shubman Gill 3 number ho sakte hai,” he added.

 Raina’s picks highlight a new wave of superstars already making their mark on world cricket. Making his debut only in the last year, Abhishek Sharma the the no. 1 ICC T20I batter, and Jaiswal is swinging his bat on high, scoring 723 runs in 23 T20Is.

As Raina picked PBKS batter Priyansh Arya as his opening choice, the opener turned the heads in his debut IPL season. In 17 matches in the last season, 475 runs with an exceptional ton. Yet to make his international debut, the young opener could provide India’s top order with a big boost in the 2026 T20 World Cup.