Since the T20 World Cup 2024, India have managed to win 33 T20 internationals and have lost just six. A win/loss ratio of 5.5. Under Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir, India have managed to build an (almost) unbeatable side. But all the hard work would mean nothing if Sunday doesn’t go their way. The T20 World Cup 2026 final will see India go up against New Zealand in what could be the most-watched cricket game of all time.
The Narendra Modi Stadium pitch is in the news. It might not be the typical black soil where India have lost crunch matches. The 2023 ODI World Cup final result still haunts the nation. India would be mindful of that. That’s where the semi-final win over England will come in handy. Almost the entire team performed exceedingly well at the Wankhede Stadium, putting up a team effort that have now made them stand on the cusp of history.
No team has ever defended the T20 World Cup crown. No team has won it at home and never has a team won the T20 silverware thrice. India can tick all the boxes. They just need to beat New Zealand, who got hammered 4-1 in the lead-up to this tournament. As for India, it is crucial for them to play their cards right. On that note, we take a look at their possible starting XI for the final.
Cricket 13 mins India vs New Zealand: Suryakumar Yadav’s imperfectly perfect team now favourites for T20 World CupAbhishek Sharma under the spotlight
Before the T20 World Cup began, the opener in question was Sanju Samson. Well, India didn’t even start with him, as Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma were preferred. After all, Samson was enduring poor form and was looking out of sorts. A month later, you can swap the situation between Samson and Abhishek.
While Samson is the reason why India is playing the final on Sunday, Abhishek has offered nothing in the T20 World Cup. Yet, India will and should persist with him. Despite averaging less than 13 in the tournament, Abhishek is too good a player to be dropped. Yes, he is woefully out of form, not being able to score runs at all. But you shouldn’t carry a player for seven matches only to drop him in the final.
Thankfully for Abhishek, other batters around him are doing the job. Ishan Kishan is striking at almost 190. Samson, as mentioned above, is playing the best he has ever played. Suryakumar Yadav, despite not being at best, has been a superb leader on the field. He needs to up his batting, having a tournament SR of 137.50 so far. His troubles against spin have resurfaced again after a horrible 2025 for India.
Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube form the best finishing prowess. Ever since he has been demoted to accommodate Samson in the lineup, Tilak’s strike rate has been 242.1. He is clear with his approach. So is the case with Dube, who is one of the best spin-hitters in the game. Pandya, as a bowler, has been at his best too, getting movement inside the powerplay and being a wicket-taker.
Varun Chakaravarthy to be dropped for Kuldeep Yadav?
The only place which might be uncertain is Varun Chakaravarthy’s. His form has dropped significantly. He may be the world’s No. 1 T20I ranked bowler but his bowling looks highly out of sorts. The ‘mystery’ has perhaps left him, at least for now. He is bowling way shorter than he should ideally bowl and is leaking runs at 9.80 at that length. Chakaravarthy has taken just 4 wickets since the Super 8 stage and went at 11.62 runs per over.
Yet, we feel India might stick to him. Just like with Abhishek, it makes little sense to drop Chakaravarthy right in the finals. Kuldeep Yadav is a like-for-like replacement available on the bench. However, Kuldeep himself takes time to settle in. Also, considering how well the Kiwi batters played Kuldeep in the ODI series just before the T20 World Cup, it might not be wise for India to swap the two. Yes, he may be woefully out of form. But there’s a reason why no other full-member nation bowler took more T20I wickets than Chakaravarthy since the last T20 World Cup.
Predicted India XI vs New Zealand
S. No. Player1Sanju Samson (WK) 2Abhishek Sharma3Ishan Kishan4Suryakumar Yadav (C)5Tilak Varma6Hardik Pandya 7Shivam Dube 8Axar Patel 9Varun Chakaravarthy10Jasprit Bumrah11Arshdeep SinghBench: Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Rinku SinghThe two pace bowlers remain untouched. Jasprit Bumrah was the difference-maker in the semi-final. England perhaps batted better than India in Mumbai. But they didn’t have Bumrah. Much will be expected of him at a ground where he bagged a magical figures of 3/15 against South Africa. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh is extremely crucial in the powerplay and death overs.
History beckons for these 11 guys and the four squad members. Whether you are playing or not, you have to work as a single unit. For India, the final against New Zealand will mean everything. Once again, they enter as favourites in Ahmedabad. This time, they would hope for a better result than what happened on November 19, 2023.
Predicted India Playing XI vs New Zealand: Varun Chakaravarthy dropped for Kuldeep in final? Inside Sport India.
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