New Delhi: As India gears up to defend its T20 World Cup crown on home soil in 2026, head coach Gautam Gambhir has to understand: the team’s hopes hinge on reviving the batting fortunes of captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill, whose recent form has sparked widespread alarm in the dressing room.
Ever the no-nonsense tactician, Gambhir insists the squad is poised to retain the title it clinched triumphantly last year. Yet, beneath the bravado lies a nagging concern — India’s top-order architects are crumbling under pressure, threatening to derail the campaign before it even begins. “The team is ready to defend the trophy,” Gambhir declared recently, but his words carry an undercurrent of urgency, especially after back-to-back series exposed glaring vulnerabilities.
Suryakumar, the explosive middle-order maestro once ranked the world’s No. 1 T20 batter, has been a shadow of his former self since donning the captain’s armband post-Rohit Sharma’s retirement. In 17 innings this year, the 34-year-old has mustered just 201 runs at a dismal average of 14.35, with a high of 47— hardly the fireworks fans crave. Across 33 outings under his leadership, he’s aggregated 731 runs at 24.36, including a mere two half-centuries.
While India remains unbeaten in the T20 series during his tenure, SKY’s blade seems blunted; selectors whisper he’s clinging on by leadership alone, not willow wizardry.
The plot thickens with Gill, the elegant opener thrust into vice-captaincy after Asia Cup heroics. His slump hit rock bottom in the second T20 against South Africa last week, where a golden duck — his first in internationals — on the fifth ball of the first over torpedoed a chase of 214. In 14 matches since elevation, Gill has scraped 263 runs at 23.90, sans a single fifty, his best a tepid 47. Absent from T20s for a year prior, his rust has sidelined talents like Sanju Samson, forcing middle-order rejigs that unsettle the balance.
With the World Cup looming on familiar pitches, Gambhir’s team management faces a high-stakes puzzle: can they reignite these stars before crunch time? Fail here, and defending the crown could prove an impossible heist.
As Gambhir pores over tapes, one thing’s clear — form isn’t optional; it’s the only ticket to glory.