The Men in Blue have some decisions to make ahead of the coveted tournament next year.
Change is the only constant! The Men in Blue went down to the might of the Australians in the second T20I in Melbourne. India could not post a competitive total on the board, and were left reeling at 125, after Abhishek Sharma scored a superb 68 off just 37 deliveries. However, the need for India to dig deep into their resources in the shortest format was clearly visible.
Do India have the resources? A 100% yes! There has not been a single doubt on whether the Men in Blue possess the resources to do well in the format. They have been, for a long time dominating the 20-over format against most teams. The Blues lifted the T20 World Cup in 2024 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. And after the Mumbai Indians (MI) batter and Virat Kohli stepped down from the format, Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain.
For quite a while now, the Indians are following a fixed template of going aggressive at the top. Abhishek Sharma is at the centre of the proceedings, and is expected to be exactly there after his heroics with his franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Though it has worked sometimes, the middle-order has not always contributed to the scoring rates.
Ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup in 2026, the Men in Blue have some questions to brainstorm about. Here are a few changes in the team that should take place if India are to do well in the coveted tournament.
After Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepped down from two formats of the game, Shubman Gill has emerged to become the poster boy of the team India. The Men in Blue have always believed in having a single captain for all the three formats, and this has had its pros and cons. The question being, are the cons more than what the advantages are?
Recently, the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were ignored for the main squad of the Asia Cup 2025. The team managed to win the title, but apart from a few matches, Gill looked quite rusty in the tournament. In the second T20I against Australia as well, Hazlewood troubled him quite a few times before he was dismissed. The youngster has proved his mettle in the format with some exemplary performances in the IPL, and surely has the potential to excel.
The question is not the capability of Shubman Gill. The fact is, the Indian Test skipper is being fast tracked into the leadership role of every format, just to maintain the ‘all format one captain’ mentality that the Indian management has believed in. It is because of this, that players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, who deserve a chance are sitting out on the bench. The selectors could have waited a bit before handing over the vice-captaincy to Gill, which makes him a surety in the playing XI.
One of the most important questions for India and its fans remains the non-inclusion of Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI. The left-arm pacer is one of the finest bowlers in the format for India, and has proved the same through some stunning performances in the IPL and domestic tournaments. However, the speedster has been seen on the bench for quite a while now, which is being questioned by a lot of experts, including former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Arshdeep can add a lot of solidarity to the Indian attack, especially towards the end of the innings. He is impeccable with his yorkers and can trouble the batters a lot by not letting them score quickly.
To add to that, India’s over-dependence on Jasprit Bumrah is unsettling. The moment Bumrah goes for runs or doesn’t find his groove, the Men in Blue look a bit shaky in the field. However, they will have to change that, and bringing in Arshdeep into the mix will be a great way to make sure that the runs are stemmed towards the death. To add to that, Arshdeep is a great asset in the beginning as well as he can swing the ball both ways.
Sanju Samson’s selection in the Asia Cup 2025 squad was bittersweet. The happiness of being selected was dented a bit, when Shubman Gill was named in the squad and made the vice-captain. It meant that the latter would start in the XI, but also open for India, making it really difficult for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper to break into the side.
However, amid all the chaos, skipper Suryakumar Yadav walked into the press conference stating that the team would take care of Samson in a great manner. And he was in the playing XI. Right from game one! The Indians haven’t displayed a set batting order and have shown the flexibility to deal with situations as and when one arises.
But, there’s an important point being missed here. Or rather, and important player – Jitesh Sharma. The wicketkeeper-batter from RCB has done nothing wrong, and deserves to be selected in the XI for his strong performances in the IPL, and also for Vidarbha. He can prove to be a better striker of the cricket ball towards the end, where India need his services.
ALSO READ:
Of all the good things happening to Indian cricket in the shortest format over the next two months, this one probably tops the list. The all-rounder has been out of the scheme of things since quite a while since his injury in the Asia Cup 2025. However, he is set to make a return to the team soon, and will quickly become one of the first players in the Indian XI.
However, at what cost? Or rather, whose cost? The Indian side has Shivam Dube as the all-rounder currently, and Harshit Rana who displayed tremendous batting skills in the second T20I in Melbourne. However, out of the two, the latter possesses an advantage due to his strong bowling impact. And this is why Hardik coming into the side could mean curtains for someone like Dube.
However, for India, this would be a vital change. There have been moments when both Dube and Hardik have been a part of the same XI, but the balance and combinations of the team were different then. Having said that, Hardik coming back into the side is a change that is most certain, and that should give a lot of relif for the Indians.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
