Former India cricketer Sourav Ganguly feels that the team is one of the favourites to win the 2026 T20 World Cup that is set to commence from February 7. According to him, the side led by Suryakumar Yadav is quite strong with many players currently being in the best of forms. He also highlighted how the batting, spin and pace departments are the team's strongest points.
India have a chance to script history
India will come into the tournament as the defending champions as they had won the 2024 edition under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. If they do go on to win the crown this time around as well, then they will become the first team to ever win the competition three times.
“India is a very strong team and I think they are at their best at the moment. The batting, the spin department, the seam bowling led by (Jasprit) Bumrah. So, there is a lot of quality in the side. What’s important in these big tournaments is, is to peak at the right time and play well during the tournament. I know past has got no meaning but, they will peak at the big tournament and I think they will be one of my favourites," Ganguly said in a video shared by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Instagram.
Eden Gardens will play host to several matches
The upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata is one of the venues that will feature quite a bit during the tournament as it will be playing host to seven matches. Though India will not be playing any of their group stage matches at the venue, Ganguly is very much looking forward for fans to come and watch the games in Kolkata.
“I think not just CAB, the whole of the city is looking forward to the mega event. There are seven matches, including an India game on the 1st of March and then a semi-final. So, it’s a big event," Ganguly stated.
“I was president the first time when we hosted it in 2016 (T20 World Cup). The India-Pakistan game and the final. So, CAB, it’s a great stadium, it’s a great venue and it will be full and people are looking forward to this tournament. They will enjoy it here, come and watch cricket. They always do actually. People come and watch cricket, they will be turning up as well," he added.
ALSO READ: Harry Brook takes U-turn over nightclub incident, admits he lied to 'protect his teammates'
India's squad for T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh