It’s T-9. Team India’s road to the 2026 T20 World Cup comes closer and closer. The Men in Blue are just nine matches from starting their title defence against the USA in Mumbai on February 7.
Since lifting the cup in Barbados, India has lost just 4 T20I matches. Without a doubt, India is the best T20I team in the world and the favourites to defend their title at home. But the Suryakumar Yadav-led side still has to plug some holes. In fact, if fitness persists, India will have to sort out just two spots.
Shubman Gill’s rough patch
The second opener will be one of them. Abhishek Sharma isn’t just the best opener but the best batter in the world. Eye test, ranking, and stats all prove that. The issue has been his partner. Shubman Gill has been reassigned the role, starting with the 2025 Asia Cup, but his performance hasn’t been up to par.
Sanju Samson, who was the opener from July 2024 to August 2025, has been displaced as opener to accommodate Gill, who was the incumbent after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired. However, since returning, Gill hasn’t been able to justify the recall. He hasn’t scored a fifty, and it’s been 13 innings now.
Shubman Gill T20I stats as opener (from July 1, 2024 onwards)
| Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 506 | 66 | 31.62 | 136.38 | 0 | 2 |
His strike rate remains a concern as well. India and Gill have 9 matches to sort it out. If they don’t, you’ll walk into the T20 World Cup with an in-form opener in Gill, and his backup wouldn’t have started the innings in the last 6 innings.
Stick with Jitesh Sharma
Since Samson has been dropped, Jitesh Sharma has replaced him. The 32-year-old is a proven finisher; he’s been part of the setup for a couple of years now and was one of the biggest surprises in the Indian Premier League 2025 season. The issue with Jitesh isn’t performance but lack of game time.
The wicketkeeper has batted just 3 times for India in 2025. Even in 2024, Jitesh played just twice. He needs to be given a chance to prove himself down the order, which means India can’t drop him now. He must be played if the management thinks he’s in their best XI and can’t be dropped for Samson under any circumstances.
India schedule until T20 World Cup 2026
| Match | Date | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| India vs South Africa 2nd T20I | December 11 | Mullanpur, Chandigarh | 7 PM IST |
| India vs South Africa 3rd T20I | December 14 | HPCA, Dharamsala | 7 PM IST |
| India vs South Africa 4th T20I | December 17 | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | 7 PM IST |
| India vs South Africa 5th T20I | December 19 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 7 PM IST |
| India vs New Zealand 1st T20I | January 21 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 7 PM IST |
| India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I | January 23 | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur | 7 PM IST |
| India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I | January 25 | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | 7 PM IST |
| India vs New Zealand 4th T20I | January 28 | ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 7 PM IST |
| India vs New Zealand 5th T20I | January 31 | Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram | 7 PM IST |
Editor's Pick
Cricket
IPL's brand value wiped out by INR 21576 crore before the 2026 season, RCB & CSK affected
Top Stories
