With the T20 World Cup 2026 set to begin on February 7, Sunil Gavaskar reveals his preferred India playing XI against USA, highlighting a balanced side packed with power hitters, all-rounders, and a strong bowling attack.
With just six days left until the start of the T20 World Cup 2026, the tournament will begin on February 7th with a match between Pakistan and the Netherlands. A total of 40 matches will be played in the group stage, followed by the Super 8 stage starting on February 21st. The first semi-final will be played on March 4th, the second semi-final on March 5th, and the tournament decider will be held on March 8th. Ahead of this tournament, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has selected his preferred playing XI for the Indian team, which we will examine in this article.
The BCCI had already officially selected the Indian team’s T20 squad, and after the five-match T20 series against New Zealand, the playing XI for the 2026 World Cup has also been almost finalized. Sunil Gavaskar’s chosen playing XI includes five batsmen, three all-rounders, and three bowlers.
Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy
Why is this playing XI so effective?
This playing XI features power hitters like Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel, giving the team the freedom to play aggressively from start to finish. Moreover, if India suffers early setbacks, the team has enough depth to handle any situation.
The team also includes three all-rounders like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel, who can provide depth to the batting lineup and contribute with the ball as well, as we saw against New Zealand. This gives the Indian team the luxury of having extra bowling options in case any of the main bowlers have an off day.
The Indian team, on the other hand, possesses a world-class bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Arshdeep Singh and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who control the powerplay, attack in the middle overs, and provide the freedom to take the game to the very end.
India Full Squad for the T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
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