Key Points:
The year 2026 has brought many important challenges for Indian cricket. There are questions on the role of coach in red ball cricket. The search for a new captain in T20 is going on. The form of senior players and the pressure of winning the domestic T20 World Cup will also be a big test. It is also important for BCCI to maintain order and respect.
Delhi: The year 2026 has started with many difficult questions for Indian cricket. That is why we are considering this as a year of change because the answer to these challenges will come through our identity and change. Whatever successes were achieved in 2025, most of them also had to be struggled and it is not that they achieved dominance like Australia. That’s why 2026 is special:
What to do with Gautam Gambhir as red ball coach:
Even though BCCI officials said in the last few hours of the year that there is no threat to Gautam Gambhir, but without any major Test series win, how is he a Test team coach? Lost 3 series, two of them on their own pitches, lost 5 matches to South Africa and New Zealand and are far behind in the race for the World Test Championship. The worrying thing about that is that no Test will be played till August (then: against Sri Lanka), after which the New Zealand tour at the end of the year and the series against Australia in 2027. So Gambhir does not have much chance to prove himself in red ball cricket.
Search for new captain in T20 cricket:
Now, Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain and Shubman Gill was brought back in the T20 team and he was also made the vice-captain and the preparations had started. This experiment failed and now Shubman is out of the team and Akshar Patel is again the vice-captain. Suryakumar is about to turn 36, hence a new captain is needed and after the World Cup (or IPL), a new captain will have to be brought. So who is the contender? Hardik Pandya is a good option but he is not even the vice-captain yet. Is there enough trust in Akshar Patel to consider him a long-haul player?
Question about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing only One Day International:
2025 ended on a very good note and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma showed excellent form. The question is that the World Cup is still 22 months away and in between, both of them do not have much opportunity to play, especially in 2026. It will not be easy for these two superstars to continue their excellent form. If unnecessary disputes continue to arise over that, then the atmosphere will also affect both of them.
Challenge to win 2026 T20 World Cup as host:
Now there will be not only pressure to win the domestic World Cup, India is also the defending champion. If we look at the records, India is definitely the favourite. Bonus on him taking advantage of home conditions. Therefore, nothing less than the expectation of victory will be accepted and that is the pressure. If Suryakumar Yadav’s team does not win, which is ever a possibility in this shortest format, then the consequences will be very serious. This could prove to be a turning point in the relationship between Gautam Gambhir and the board.
In cricket, along with money and sports, there is also respect:
BCCI has money and the team’s record is also not bad, but is India a super power on every front in cricket? BCCI needs to become professional in its work. The shortcomings of organizing the 2023 World Cup were highlighted by the foreign media. T20 World Cup is another test. There is no arrangement to sell tickets yet. If the pitch is not perfect, the ICC does not waste time in giving a rating of ‘poor’. The spread of cricket in the country, abundance of resources, money and playing money making tournaments like the Indian Premier League has definitely increased cricket, has it become that much better?
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