Team India’s SWOT analysis – Explosive batting, inconsistent spin bowling?:Suryakumar Yadav’s Men in Blue hot favourites to win record-breaking third title

After a dominant T20I series win over New Zealand at home, Team India now turns its focus to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 with growing confidence. Explosive starts from Abhishek Sharma, a strong return to form by Ishan Kishan, and calm leadership from captain Suryakumar Yadav have strengthened India’s title credentials. As two-time champions, India will aim to defend their crown, even though no team has successfully defended a T20 World Cup title or won the tournament on home soil so far. India has previously lifted the T20 World Cup twice, winning in 2007 under MS Dhoni and again in 2024 under Rohit Sharma. However, the upcoming edition marks a major transition for the side. For the first time since the inaugural tournament, India will compete without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, who retired from T20I cricket after the historic triumph in Barbados last year. With a fresh squad and a new core taking charge, India begin their campaign on February 7 against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. As the tournament approaches, it is the right moment to assess India’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats ahead of a challenging World Cup journey. SWOT Analysis of Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup Strength: Explosive batting lineup, incredible batting depth Abhishek Sharma’s attacking approach at the top has been India’s blueprint in the shorter format. His partner Sanju Samson is out of runs, but Ishan Kishan has shown that he can also be devastating up top. In the middle order, captain Suryakumar Yadav’s return to form has added much-needed stability and momentum. Tilak Varma has the ability to accelerate the scoring rate at will. His presence allows finishers like Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Hardik Pandya the freedom to settle in and accelerate later, strengthening India’s batting depth at the back end. The Men in Blue also have Axar Patel, who is no slouch either, while Harshit Rana has also improved his batting, giving India incredible batting depth. Weakness: Spinners struggling for wickets, pacers leaking runs During the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Indian spinners struggled to make an impact. Both Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav picked up 4 wickets each. Getting wickets in the middle overs will be very crucial if India aims to defend their T20 World Cup crown. Elsewhere, the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh were conceded plenty of runs. While Arshdeep’s economy was 10.50, Bumrah fared slightly better at 9.47. Harshit Rana conceded runs at 11.27 per over, while managing just two wickets. All three pacers will have to pull up their socks to improve their economy and avoid conceding too many runs. Opportunities: Defend the title and end the host nation jinx As two-time champions, India will aim to defend the T20 World Cup title they won in 2024. History, however, presents a tough challenge, as no team has successfully defended the trophy since the tournament began. At the same time, India will be looking to achieve another historic milestone by winning the T20 World Cup on home soil, a feat no team has managed so far. If everything comes together, India could become the first side to win not one, or two, but three T20 World Cup titles. Threats: Sanju Samson’s dipping form, fielding needs improvement Sanju Samson failed to live up to expectations in the recent series against New Zealand. He managed just 46 runs, falling short of the impact the team management was hoping for. As India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter, his form is a concern, and continued struggles could see Ishan Kishan take over the role, potentially pushing Samson to the bench for the World Cup. Fielding is another area of concern for the Indian team. While the Men in Blue have plenty of gun fielders like Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and others, in recent matches, plenty of catches have been dropped. Catches win matches, is an old saying in cricket. Surya’s catch won India the last edition of the T20 World Cup; it changed the course of the final, the Men in Blue must take inspiration from that moment.