India go into the T20 World Cup 2026 as favorites to win the tournament. The T20I world number one has been in form over the past year and is expected to progress to the semi-finals of the competition. However, former India captain Rohit Sharma pointed out that the path may not be as straightforward as it seems.
Ahead of the tournament, Rohit explained what he sees as India’s biggest challenge. According to him, the team management will be torn between playing two specialist spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy or sticking with just Varun in the tournament.
India have relied heavily on their spin attack in the last year, with Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel dominating opposition line-ups. However, Rohit pointed out that the timing of the tournament — during the transition from winter to spring — will bring a lot of dew to the game during the evening matches.
“The biggest challenge for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir will be how to play together with Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy. If you want that combination, you can do it only if you play with two seamers, which is a big challenge,” Rohit Sharma told Hotstar ahead of the World Cup.
Despite the concerns, the T20 World Cup captain admitted that he would be tempted to play both specialist spinners in the XI.
Dew will heavily influence T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma
Playing three spinners would put India in a difficult position in terms of balance. If Axar, Kuldeep and Varun turn up, India would be forced to sacrifice Arshdeep Singh. In this scenario, India would operate with one specialist all-rounder in Jasprit Bumrah along with two all-rounders in Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya.
Rohit said that it will not be easy for Suryakumar Yadav and Gambhir to settle on a fixed playing eleven as leaving out any player would mean taking out one of the best in the world.
“When we look at the conditions in India, like in this New Zealand series, there is a lot of dew. In February and March, the dew will be heavy in most parts when the winter is over. Even in Mumbai, which doesn’t get cold, there is still dew. I would say 90-95% of the pitches in India are dewy. That’s a challenge,” Rohit said.
“What does the coach and the captain think? Are they comfortable with three spins? Then they can play spin, but there is no hard and fast rule. You have to drop the pacer, which may not be right. It depends on the mindset of the team management,” he concluded.
India started their T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 against USA. They will play group stage matches in Mumbai, Delhi, Colombo and Ahmedabad.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
January 29, 2026
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