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"Until now Bumrah, but...": Ashwin on key players rivals must target in T20 World Cup 2026

Soumyajit Dutta

Ravichandran Ashwin on key players [Source: @crickettimes/X.com]Ravichandran Ashwin on key players [Source: @crickettimes/X.com]

The T20 World Cup 2026 looms large, and ahead of the big ICC tournament, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin marked the two new faces in Indian cricket as the biggest game-changers.

While teams will be interested in marking Jasprit Bumrah or Hardik Pandya as their primary targets, Ashwin stressed that the fiery top-order opener and the mystery spinner will be the real deal-breaker if the rivals want to get an advantage against the Men in Blue.

Ashwin shares tactical roadmap with rivals

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakaravarthy, the recent T20I findings of India, who will be the real pivots for India in the big tourney.

“If any team wants to win the T20 World Cup in India, they will have to master two factors. I was saying until now that handling Jasprit Bumrah. But I will say right now, the way I have seen Tim David handle Varun Chakaravarthy, I am thinking teams will gun for Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakaravarthy if they have to get past India,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The Sharma-Chakaravarthy factor might be key

Abhishek Sharma averaged 40.75 from the 5 matches he played on Australian soil. The brute power from the left-hander is everything that the Indian top order requires right now. 

Varun Chakaravarthy, too, had significant outings with the ball, picking up 5 wickets from three encounters against the men in Yellow while bowling at an incredibly low economy rate of 6.83, which, again, implies his skills even against one of the top-tier teams in the world.

“Against Abhishek Sharma, they will see this plan Australia has used against him in this series, and they will imbibe that. Whoever is coming to the World Cup will prepare similarly against Varun Chakaravarthy because that will give them the leverage in that World Cup,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin sort of shared the blueprint for rivals by explaining the primary strengths of India, which now lie not in a key pacer like Jasprit Bumrah, but on a fearless top-order aggressor and a calm and composed mystery spinner.