Rohit Sharma warns Team India ahead of T20 World Cup, reveals biggest danger
Only one week is left for the T20 World Cup to begin. India will enter the T20 World Cup 2026 as a strong contender for the title. The world’s number-one T20I team has been in excellent form over the past year, and it is expected to reach the semifinals without much trouble. However, former Indian captain Rohit Sharma believes that the path for India will not be as easy as it seems.
Rohit Sharma shared his views on India’s biggest challenge
Before the tournament, Rohit Sharma shared his views on India’s biggest challenge. According to him, the main question for the team management will be whether to play both specialist spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, together or rely only on Varun throughout the tournament.
Over the past year, India has relied heavily on its spin attack. Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel have consistently troubled opposition batsmen. However, Rohit warned that as the tournament moves from winter to summer, evening matches could bring heavy dew, which may significantly affect spin bowling.
“The biggest challenge for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir will be how to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy together. If you want that combination, you can only do it if you play with two seamers, which is a big challenge,” Rohit Sharma explained during an interview on Hotstar.
Rohit Sharma pointed out that since the tournament takes place at the end of the Indian winter, weather conditions could make using three spinners risky. Dew in evening games can make it hard for spin bowlers to hold the ball, which might push the captain to rely more on fast bowlers.
“Looking at conditions in India, like in this New Zealand series, there is a lot of dew. In February and March, dew will be heavy across most parts as winter ends. Even in Mumbai, which doesn’t get cold, there’s still dew. I’d say 90-95 per cent of grounds in India have dew. That’s the challenge,” Rohit observed.
Rohit Sharma feels that leaving out a good fast bowler to include another spinner is a risky move
With players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya returning, and young talents like Abhishek Sharma breaking records, choosing the final XI has become even more challenging. Rohit Sharma feels that leaving out a good fast bowler to include another spinner is a risky move, and the decision will depend completely on the approach of Gambhir and Suryakumar.
“What do the coach and captain think? Are they comfortable with three spinners? Then they can play spin, but there’s no fixed rule. You have to drop a pacer, which may not be right. It depends on the thinking of the team leadership,” he concluded.
India is in Group A and will start their title defence against the USA on February 7 at Wankhede Stadium. In the group stage, they will also play important matches against Namibia, the Netherlands, and a big game against their rivals, Pakistan.
India’s T20 World Cup Squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.