Sanju Samson’s poor form, over-reliance on Jasprit Bumrah for wickets:5 challenges for Team India as Men in Blue chase historic third T20 World Cup crown

After sealing the series against New Zealand at home, it’s time for the Men in Blue to assemble themselves for the T20 World Cup 2026. India will enter the tournament as favourites to retain their title, on home soil. No team has ever won the T20 World Cup back-to-back, and never has the trophy been won by a host nation. Should India achieve the historic feat, they will become only the first team in cricket history to win the T20 World Cup crown three times. India’s squad for the World Cup was tested against New Zealand in the recently concluded T20I series. However, the rehearsal series exposed some of the concerns for Surya’s men ahead of T20 World Cup despite their ‘invincibility’ on paper. 5 major challenges for Team India 1. Sanju Samson’s lean patch Sanju Samson was picked over Shubman Gill in the T20 World Cup squad. However, when he was put to the test as an opener against New Zealand in the T20I series, he could not make an impact. With just 46 runs across five matches, including three single-digit scores, Samson is once again at risk of losing his place in the team. Ishan Kishan is breathing down his neck, a late entrant in the World Cup squad. Kishan scored a century and sent a timely reminder to the management that he is available to fill in if any spots open up. Add to that, Kishan was also seen donning the wicketkeeping gloves during the last T20I against the Kiwis. Abhishek Sharma has been scoring runs at a blistering pace, but will the management continue to back Samson, or will they give Kishan a chance to shine at the biggest stage? 2. How many all-rounders are too many all-rounders? Considering India’s head coach’s knack for all-rounders, it will be interesting to see how many all-rounders will feature in the playing XI. Axar Patel is just coming back from an injury, but is likely to be one of the first names on the team sheet since he is the vice-captain of the World Cup squad. Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya are automatic starters as well, but Washington Sundar is yet to recover from his rib injury. India tried Ravi Bishnoi and Rinku Singh in his place, but it remains to be seen who among the two will get the final nod. On spin-friendly pitches, it’ll be worth watching how Gautam Gambhir will navigate through different bowling combinations with Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel also in the mix. 3. Indian spinners out of wickets? The New Zealand series brought out a discrepancy in the bowling attack of the Indian squad. The top five bowlers of the series by economy were all Indians, including Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav. However, only Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were among the top wicket-takers. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy both struggled for wickets, and were also expensive during the middle overs. Kuldeep picked up 4 wickets, the same as Varun. Their economy was above 9 throughout the series, which is not a very good sign, given that they are India’s first-choice spin bowling options. 4. Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar’s fitness concerns After getting injured in the first ODI against New Zealand, suffering from a side strain, Washington Sundar missed the rest of the one-day series, along with the T20I series. With less than a week remaining in India’s first match against USA, there is no official verdict on Washi’s fitness. Another injured player, who is marking his return, is Tilak Varma, who looked promising in the warm-up match against the USA while representing India A. He slammed 38 off 24 balls, hitting 3 fours and 2 sixes during his knock. While Tilak seems like he will take his place back in the playing XI, it will be interesting to see who India will pick as Washington’s replacement, if he’s not fully recovered. 5. Over-reliance on Jasprit Bumrah in the pace department? In the pace battery of the Indian team, Jasprit Bumrah has been the only reliable bowler. He bowled at an economy of 9.47 in the four matches that he played against New Zealand. He was the only recognised pacer among the top 10 bowlers with the best economies in the T20I series vs the Kiwis. Hardik had a better economy, but he’s an all-rounder. Among specialist pacers, Arshdeep Singh has been a tad bit expensive. He leaked 168 runs at an economy of 10.50 in four matches. Before the five-wicket haul in the last match, he had only scalped three wickets in three games. Harshit Rana has also not been reliable as a pacer, conceding runs at an economy of 11.27 in three games. On a bad day or during knockout games, this weakness might prove costly.