So Soon! Another ICC World Twenty20 …

The ICC World Twenty20 is only under two months away; So soon, may ask the passionate Indian cricket fan. For it was only in June 2024 that Rohit Sharma’s men in blue team stunned South Africa in the final at Bridgetown. Thanks to an extraordinary catch taken by Suryakumar Yadav around the straight boundary line, India could cause a turnaround in the match that had drifted South Africa’s way. The same Yadav is almost certain to lead the campaign in the February-March 2026 competition to be held in India and Sri Lanka. Yadav has not been in good nick for many matches, the selection committee has no other option though, but to zero in on Yadav to helm the team that will have Shubman Gill as vice-captain. India’s trump cards for some months have been Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma and the mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, but the focus will be on Gill and Yadav who form the core of the Indian team’s batting — being among the top-4. Yadav, clearly has been protected by his leadership that has won many internationals, including the Asia Cup, and lost a few. India has not lost a series since August 2023, winning in South Africa and Australia; its record in this phase is 31 wins including the two against South Africa in the ongoing series and losing just six. The team has won in different conditions, which is what gives credence to the belief that Yadav’s team can really have a good crack at the title that it won in 2024 after 17 years. In a short time left from its opening match against the USA in Mumbai on February 7 next year, the team will have to fix a few glitches.