The Indian cricket team’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 has been announced. Sanju Samson has been included as the first-choice wicketkeeper, while Shubman Gill has been dropped.
In the last match against South Africa, Sanju scored 37 runs, which was a big opportunity for his comeback.
Srikkanth’s Praise and Warning for Samson
Former captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth praised Sanju’s innings. He said, “He batted really well. What an innings it was. Some of the strokes he played were brilliant. When he is striking, he is striking deadly.”
But Srikkanth also gave Sanju a clear warning. He said, “The only thing I will tell Sanju is, don’t get out on 37. Convert that 37 into 73. If you do that, you can’t be removed. People forget 30s and 40s.”
Srikkanth believes that small innings in Sanju’s career are quickly forgotten. After the Australia tour, Sanju was out of the team for seven consecutive matches, but he got a chance in Ahmedabad and he capitalized on it. Srikkanth said, “Sanju Samson got one chance and he grabbed it in yesterday’s match.”
Team’s Strength and Praise for Hardik
Suryakumar Yadav is the captain of the squad and Axar Patel is the vice-captain. Ishan Kishan has also made a comeback. Srikkanth described the team’s batting lineup as very strong.
He praised Hardik Pandya, saying, “He was batting like ‘Mission Impossible’. It was just outstanding to watch him bat.”
Srikkanth further added, “If you look at the top five, if Suryakumar Yadav hits form, this batting line-up will destroy opponents. It is an intimidating and devastating batting line-up.” Shubman Gill failed to score a single half-century in 15 innings and also had a poor run in the South Africa series. He was ruled out of the final matches due to injury.
Now, the team will start afresh in the World Cup, and Sanju Samson will open the batting.
