India’s T20 World Cup 2024 winning captain Rohit Sharma, who has already stepped away from Tests and T20Is, said he plans to chat with a few players from the T20 squad when he meets them during the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. Rohit is the only cricketer to play in all nine editions of the T20 World Cup, and he wants to use his 15 years of experience to help the team prepare for the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup 2026 which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Rohit Sharma to help Team India for T20 World Cup
After the Test series ends, India will play a three-match ODI series against South Africa starting November 30. Some of the players picked for the ODIs will also be part of the T20I squad for the same tour, giving Rohit a chance to share his thoughts with them.
“I keep meeting all these guys (India T20 players); I'm still playing. I'm going to go to Ranchi (for ODIs against South Africa) and meet some of these guys there who are going to be part of the T20 setup,” Rohit said during a panel discussion also involving India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav and Women's World Cup-winning skipper Harmanpreet Kaur with ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta at an event in Mumbai at which the sport's global governing body revealed the full schedule of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
Rohit said the players always discuss things between them and will try to get into the players' mindset during the conversations.
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“There's always a conversation that happens between the players, and I am somebody who likes to talk, discuss and get into their mindset a little bit and understand what they are thinking,” said the white-ball cricket legend, the only player to hit three double hundreds in ODI cricket.
Rohit for his availability for advice
Rohit said he is always available to dispense advice whenever approached.
“I have always been that person who’s there to provide advice if there is one to be given or hear them out and see if there is a solution to be found for that," said Rohit, who was named the ICC Brand Ambassador for the upcoming Men's T20 World Cup 2026 to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
“But again, these guys are having a great run of late. I don't think there's much that needs to be changed. (But) The final prep will be just around when they play New Zealand. That's when they should try and get their playing XI or their (squad of) 15 in mind,” he added.
India's T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
India will start their T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 against the United States in Mumbai, followed by a clash with Namibia on February 12 in Delhi. India’s high-voltage encounter with arch-rivals Pakistan is slated for February 15 in Colombo. The group stage will conclude with a match against the Netherlands on February 18 in Ahmedabad.