Former captain MS Dhoni, who won the trophy for India in the first edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, is confident that Team India will be successful in defending its title in the upcoming T20 World Cup. While interacting with Jatin Sapru at a public event, Dhoni said that the Indian team led by Suryakumar Yadav is the most complete and powerful team in the tournament. According to him, India has every necessary resource to save the title. Talking about the strength of the team, Dhoni said, ‘Team India is one of the strongest teams of the tournament. This team has everything that is needed for a good team.
Experience and role clarity become strength
Dhoni believes that the experience of the players and clarity of their role makes this Indian team different from other teams. In a shorter format like T20, pressure situations arise on many occasions and one has to go through difficulties again and again. In such a situation, only experienced players can handle the team. He said, ‘This team has experience. Especially in this format, players have played under pressure for a long time. Every player knows his role very well and has faced similar situations before.
Dhoni’s warning: avoid dew
While on one hand Dhoni described India as a strong contender for the title, he also gave an important warning. According to him, dew is a factor that can change the course of any match. Dhoni clearly said, ‘The thing that bothers me is dew. I don’t like dew at all. It changes a lot in the game. Even during my playing days, dew was one of the most scary things, because then the toss becomes very important.
India’s dominance in neutral conditions
Dhoni believes that if the conditions remain balanced, India will emerge victorious in most of the matches. He said with confidence, ‘If we play 10 matches against the best teams in the world and the conditions remain neutral, India will win most of those matches.’
What challenges did Dhoni count?
Dhoni further said, ‘The only problem is that some player of your team is not having a good day and some player of the opposite team is having a very good day. This happens many times in T20 cricket. It remains to be seen whether this happens in the league stage or the knockout stage. Then we will need prayers.’ Dhoni said, ‘Everyone including the team management believes that no player from the selected team should get injured. Those who have been given the responsibility should play that role well. If this happens, I don’t want to make eye contact by saying this, but India will be the most dangerous and strongest team.
Statistics are also supporting India
The recent performance of Team India strengthens Dhoni’s confidence. After winning the T20 World Cup in 2024, India has not lost any bilateral series or tournament. During this period, India has won 27 out of 32 matches. Since August 2023, India has registered 49 wins in 63 T20 matches. India is currently number-one in the ICC men’s T20 rankings. Abhishek Sharma is the number-one T20 batsman, while Varun Chakravarthy remains the top T20 bowler.
Golden opportunity to create history
India are entering the 2026 T20 World Cup as both hosts and defending champions. Till now, neither any host team has been able to win the T20 World Cup nor any men’s team has been able to save the title. In such a situation, Suryakumar Yadav’s team has a big opportunity to create history. There is also a chance to become the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times.
