Bold calls & big worries: Is this Indian squad capable enough to defend the T20 World Cup at home?

The Indian squad picked for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, to be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka in February and March 2026, surprised many. Since India, the defending champions, play all their matches at home except those involving Pakistan, there will be tremendous pressure on the side to win the tournament again. Hence, it will be interesting to take a look at the side that is vested with this onerous responsibility.

The major surprise was the omission of Shubman Gill, the team's vice-captain for the series against South Africa and the skipper in other formats. Gill suffered an injury to his neck during the Test series against South Africa and has been in indifferent form ever since. He did not score heavily in the T20 matches against South Africa, and a foot injury that forced him to miss the last game of the series added to his misery.

Though chief selector Ajit Agarkar was at pains to explain that Gill's omission had more to do with getting the right combination for the side than with his present form, this only raised more questions than it provided clarity. Whatever the reasons, it will be galling for the captain of the national team, which had performed creditably in England, to miss out on a home campaign for the World Cup, especially when he is fit and in fine fettle.

Gill is replaced at the top by Ishan Kishan, who has been in excellent nick with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 517 runs at a strike rate of close to 200. It was his stupendous hitting at the top of the order that propelled Jharkhand to win the championship. It is certainly encouraging that performances in a domestic championship are getting rewarded through selection to the national side.

However, this also raises the larger question as to whether he could not have been given an opportunity in the series against South Africa. Afterall, the attacks he will face in the World Cup will carry more bite and venom than the bowlers of Haryana, Andhra and other sides, whom he destroyed so mercilessly.

The arrival of Kishan also led to Jitesh Sharma's exit, who kept wickets in all the matches against South Africa, except the last one, when Sanju Samson replaced him. Jitesh has reasons to feel sorely disappointed as he did a tidy job behind the stumps and contributed with the bat as well, whenever he got the opportunities.

As Agarkar explained, there was no room for three stumpers in the squad, and Sanju managed to edge out Jitesh for the second slot. It would have been cruel had the axe been wielded against Sanju, as he had shown his versatility by batting at both the top and in the middle and scoring runs in tight situations, like the final of the Asia Cup.

The only silver lining in the whole process is the return of Rinku Singh, who did not figure in the side against South Africa. Rinku is too good a talent to be made a victim of the vicissitudes of the line of thinking of the selectors and team management. Despite batting in the middle order, where one invariably comes to bat with only a few balls remaining, Rinku has a strike rate of 161 in T20Is.

Sadly, he has not been in the selectors' good books lately. Team management should look towards grooming him as a finisher in the line of Mahendra Dhoni, as he has shown repeatedly that he can wield the willow without nerves in the end overs and indulge in clean hitting of the cricket ball.

The biggest worry for the side, of late, has been the poor form of skipper Sruyakumar Yadav (SKY). After earning a reputation as the most destructive batsman in the shortest duration version of the game, SKY has suffered a sudden slump in run scoring of late. His total tally of 34 runs in four outings to the wicket in the series against South Africa and the fact that he has not scored a fifty in his last 22 innings tell the whole story. Though SKY has exuded confidence by brushing aside media queries, stating that he is merely "out of runs" and not "out of form", experts point out that some errors have crept into his technique that need to be rectified.

It is imperative that SKY iron out the flaws and return to peak form with the bat before the World Cup starts. In a tournament of this nature, there is no room for non-performers, and if the skipper himself is facing the problem, it will affect not only the side's morale but also its balance.

This factor, more than anything else, threatens to pull down the side in the upcoming tournament. Hence, SKY should work the extra hours in the nets and take the advice of seniors to correct his deficiencies, so that he gets back to being the "360 degree batsman" he used to be, prior to the current poor run with the bat.

Axar Patel has been elevated to the vice-captain's role in place of Gill. This is a just reward for this hard-working cricketer, who has contributed substantially with both bat and ball for the country in this format. This also confirms that Hardik Pandya has dropped out of the captaincy stakes after being, at one point in time, the frontrunner to take over from Rohit Sharma.

Hardik is in good touch with the bat, as are Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma. Besides, Hardik's ability to pick up the occasional wicket and bowl tight spells will be a bonus for the side.

The strength of the side lies in the bowling and the presence of good-quality all-rounders. Jasprit Bumrah is, without doubt, the best fast bowler in the world today and commands immense respect from batsmen. Arshdeep Singh has blossomed into a fine left-arm pacer, with an uncanny ability to pick up wickets regularly, besides bowling brilliantly at the death.

Together, these two bowlers form an effective combination that strikes fear and uncertainty in the minds of opposing batsmen. Harshit Rana, the third fast bowler, will come in as a backup for either of the two if required to do so.

Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy are amongst the best in the business so far as spin bowling is concerned, and both of them possess the calibre to be match winners. The all-rounders- Shivam Dube, with his medium pace, and Washington Sundar, the off-spinner,  lend variety and balance to the side.

The biggest challenge for the side, apart from the worry lines over SKY's form, will be the pressure of defending the World Cup at home. The expectations from both the lay public and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would be sky-high, and nothing less than a victory in the finals will satisfy them.

Though the players are seasoned veterans who know how to manage intense stress and pressure-cooker-like situations, this championship will test the nerves of even the best among them.

The fact that India has, to date, won only one ICC Men's World Cup, despite hosting the event five times, underscores the challenges involved. This factor needs to be kept in mind by the fans and followers of the game in the country as well.

Best wishes to captain SKY and his team as they commence the preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026!