T20 World Cup 2026: 'India will never win', your blood will boil after listening to the words of a former selector, who made a shocking claim

Former Indian chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has made a big statement about the Indian team in the T20 World Cup 2026. He has raised questions on the selection policy of the Indian team before the Asia Cup. He believes that the current team can win the Asia Cup, but it is difficult for India to win the 2026 T20 World Cup with this squad.

Questions raised on the selection of the Indian team for the Asia Cup

The Asia Cup will start from September 9 while the final match will be played on September 28. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced a 15-member team. This team will enter this tournament under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav. At the same time, Shubman Gill will also be seen playing this tournament. He has been made the vice-captain. The Indian team has four specialist batsmen, while there are four all-rounders. There are two wicketkeeper batsmen in the form of Jitesh and Samson, while there are three specialist pacers and two specialist spinners. The T20 World Cup is to be held next year. Before that, Team India will play about 20 T20 matches. Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, 'We can win the Asia Cup with this team, but the World Cup? No chance. Do you want to take this team to the World Cup? Where is the preparation for the World Cup, while the tournament is just six months away?

Srikkanth is unhappy with the selection of Rinku, Shivam, and Harshit

The biggest discussion in the team is about the return of Shubman Gill as vice-captain. Gill played the last T20 International against Sri Lanka in July 2024. Now he has been made the deputy of Suryakumar Yadav. At the same time, Axar Patel, who was the vice-captain in the England series, has been removed from this responsibility. Srikkanth did not seem to agree with this decision. The selectors have given place to Rinku Singh, Shivam Dubey, and Harshit Rana, while Srikkanth is not happy with these choices. Rinku scored only 206 runs in IPL 2025, while Shivam Dubey scored 357 runs, but questions are also being raised about his performance. Fast bowler Harshit Rana has played only one T20 International match so far. He has been given preference over Purple Cap winner Prasidh Krishna. According to Srikkanth, the players have been selected not on recent performance but on old statistics. He said, 'They have gone back. Axar Patel has been removed from the vice-captaincy. I don't know how Rinku Singh, Shivam Dubey, and Harshit Rana came into the team. IPL is considered the main criterion for selection, but it seems the selectors have considered the performance before that.'

Who will bat at number five?

During this, the former selector also asked who would eventually bat at number five in the team. According to him, Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dubey, or Rinku Singh will have to be tried for this position. Usually, Hardik Pandya takes this responsibility, but batting after Axar Patel can affect the depth of the team. He further said, 'Who will bat at number five? One of Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dubey, or Rinku Singh should be at number five. Hardik Pandya usually bats at number five, so now Axar cannot come at number six. I do not understand how they chose Dubey. Yashasvi Jaiswal has also performed well in international cricket and the IPL. What does he do?' Srikkanth also expressed displeasure over keeping Yashasvi Jaiswal out and said that he should have gotten a place in the team instead of Dubey.