India are set to play a T20I series against South Africa from December 9.
The dates for T20 World Cup 2026 are out, with the marquee tournament set to kick off on February 7. The defending champions India will be hoping to win the title on back-to-back occasions, having won the 2024 edition. India will host the tournament along with Sri Lanka, and will be one of the favourites to clinch the trophy.
India selectors recently announced the squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa. There were a few major calls as Rinku Singh was dropped from the squad while Hardik Pandya returned. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side has a few weaknesses, which they can sort out by trying out fringe players. Here we take a look at four such players India can try before the T20 World Cup 2026.
It is quite surprising that the Indian team management continues to ignore Riyan Parag. He is one of the best hitters of pace bowling in the country, and the team needs just that. With Rinku also dropped, they need Parag in the line-up even more. The Gautam Gambhir-led regime has been obsessed with all-rounders, which makes Parag’s omission more baffling as he is a pretty good off-spinner.
India would benefit heavily by bringing in Riyan Parag, especially in Indian conditions, where his bowling adds a good value. Having Parag at number 6-7 could solve a lot of issues.
The Mumbai Indians star has a huge potential and he has started to live up to it. He was excellent in the IPL 2025, where he stepped up for MI when Hardik was struggling. He smashed 252 runs in the season at an average of 31.50 while striking at an incredible rate of 182.60.
India needs someone who can score at a fast rate down the order and not look vulnerable against hard lengths. Naman Dhir can be tried to fill in that finisher role.
Vipraj Nigam was one of the breakout stars of the IPL 2025. The 21-year old is a pretty good leg-spin bowler who can hit a long ball down the order. He had a terrific season for Delhi Capitals, picking up 11 wickets and scoring 142 runs at a strike rate of 179.
Vipraj has done well in the ongoing SMAT 2025 as well, snaring nine wickets from five games at an economy of 7.89. Gambhir likes all-rounders, and Vipraj can give them the much needed batting depth.
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India have a wicket-keeper problem in their T20I side. Sanju Samson was the preferred option for a year but the arrival of Shubman Gill as an opener has dropped him down the pecking order. India have recently Jitesh Sharma as someone who can bat down the order. But Jitesh has his issues.
It would be wise for the team management to invest in Dhruv Jurel. The young wicketkeeper batter has a high ceiling across formats, and can smash all types of bowling. His flexibility in the batting order could be valuable. As such, there is enough merit in trying Jurel ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
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