Team India will enter the 2025 T20 World Cup as favourites. They aren’t just the best team in Asia but worldwide. The Men in Blue probably have the most rounded side and have lost just 2 of their last 15 T20Is. This includes series wins over England and South Africa.
But this also means they have the weight of expectation on their shoulders. There’s a backup waiting for each player. One failure and swords are out, calling for dropping and replacing them. With guys like Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah in the team, India almost looks unbeatable. But they have weaknesses that can be exploited.
Strengths & Opportunities
Tried & tested players: There aren’t any new players in the team. Shubman Gill, Jitesh Sharma, and Bumrah are returning. One of them might just be the greatest T20 bowler of all time. The other has been touted as a replacement for Virat Kohli. The third doesn’t have the same stature but has played for Team India before and might be one of the best finishers at the moment.
Batting depth & all-rounders: Team India has been following an 8+3 pattern. That means just three frontline bowlers. This gives batters the freedom to swing freely. Of course, some of the batters are all-rounders like Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube. Therefore, the batting is stronger than ever without weakening the bowling.
Apart from Axar, India also has Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Abhishek Sharma, who can roll their arms over and offer handy spin. Hardik might be the best pace-bowling all-rounder in the world, and Dube’s good enough for a couple of overs from time to time.
Abundance of quality: The reason why India has done so well in the last 2 years isn’t because of just tactics or planning. The coaching staff got changed last year, but the results have been the same. The reason is the abundance of talent. Arshdeep Singh is India’s highest-ever wicket-taker, but sometimes he isn’t even among the three best bowlers. That just shows how good the team is.
Three of India’s batters are in the top six of the ICC T20I ranking. Despite Bumrah and Kuldeep not playing much, three bowlers are still in the top ten as well. Someone like Sanju Samson would be another team’s designated opener; for India, he might not even start. And as mentioned above, Bumrah hasn’t played in 13 months, yet India have won 13 of their last 15 T20Is.
Perfect preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup: This will be Suryakumar’s first multinational tournament as India captain. This will help him realise how leading the team works with so many permutations and combinations. He’ll also get the first taste of an India vs Pakistan match as captain. It’ll help him understand what needs to be done when the main tournament comes in 6 months.
Weaknesses & Threats: sacrificing bowling for batting
Lower-order worry: Dube and Rinku Singh are players who predominantly play in the middle-order. More often than not, both need time to settle before they can go big. But for Team India, they might have to play as low as number 8. This might be an issue. Rinku did well in the UPT20 recently. But even that came after he played over 20 overs to settle. He wouldn’t have the opportunity in the Asia Cup.
No. 8, sixth bowler & sacrificing bowling for batting: Most teams have bowlers who can hit a long ball. Mitchell Starc, Shaheen Afridi, Pat Cummins, and Rashid Khan are some of the examples. But India has none. The Men in Blue might be forced to go with Hardik and Axar as their fourth and fifth bowlers.
Both can do the job, but what if one of them is having a bad day? As mentioned above, India has part-timers, but can they bowl four overs combined? Also, what if one of the main bowlers is getting hit? These might be the biggest worry for India. Which way India will go is the question.
Will they play only one frontline pacer or spinner to bat until number eight? Or play four proper bowlers and risk scoring fewer runs or striking slower than expected due to the lack of a batter at number 8? It’ll be fascinating to see how Suryakumar and Gautam Gambhir tackle this issue.
India squad for Asia Cup
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana
Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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