Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid has declared India the overwhelming favourites for the T20 World Cup 2026, which would be held in February and March. Dravid was India’s head coach throughout their title-winning run in the event in 2024, where the Men in Blue won for the second time, following their victory in the inaugural edition in 2007.
Rahul Dravid, who spoke at an event on “The Rise of Hitman: The Rohit Sharma Story”, said he is confident India will be able to defend their title but made it clear that the shortest format of the game is highly unpredictable. He further warned that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side cannot afford a single off day.
“They clearly start as favourites, and they will make it to the semi-finals, but as I have learned to my bitter disappointment, it’s about the better team on the day. Anybody can play a good knock and upset you. Irrespective of how strong the Indian team is, one bad day in the office can undo everything,” stated Dravid during a book launch in Bengaluru, as quoted by India Today.
The former Indian marauder, who played just a solitary T20 International, also spoke about how much the side has improved in white-ball cricket over past few years. He lauded former India skipper Rohit Sharma for taking the lead and leading by example, keeping the larger interests of the team ahead of his own.
“There was a feeling that we were slightly behind in white-ball cricket and needed to push the envelope a little more. Run rates were going up, risk-taking was increasing, and we needed to adapt to that reality. What was brilliant was that Rohit took the lead immediately. He took responsibility for setting the tempo himself, rather than asking others to do it. When your leader stands up and says, ‘I will do this, even if it comes at the cost of my average or my personal numbers,’ it becomes much easier to pass that message through the team.”
Rahul Dravid
India is in some immaculate form leading into the grand event. They haven’t lost a T20I series since August 2023. The Indian team have bossed both the departments of batting as well as bowling. Now, in a five-match series against New Zealand, they have an unassailable lead after three games. Many cricket commentators are also gunning for India to win the next international tournament.
