India spinner Varun Chakravarthy says his T20 World Cup preparation is centred around backing his lengths, maintaining confidence and constantly challenging himself mentally even in matches that appear straightforward.
India all-rounder Axar Patel was on Monday ruled out of the remaining two T20 Internationals against South Africa due to illness with the BCCI's selection committee naming Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement.
Joe Burns, the former Australian cricketer who masterminded Italy's fairytale qualification to their maiden T20 World Cup, will miss the tournament after being dropped by the Italian Cricket Federation (FCRI) amid contractual wrangles.
'India will have to use him carefully. If they want him to bowl three overs early, then Arshdeep Singh has to partner Bumrah in the death overs.'
Out-of-form India vice-captain Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the last two T20I games against South Africa with a toe injury, sources close to the team told PTI.
India's jersey for 2026 T20 World Cup revealed
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'I'll tell you one thing straight away, that trust me, these two guys are going to win matches in World Cup (in February-March) and in this series as well.'
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been instructed by its sports ministry to seek shifting of the country's T20 World Cup league games from India to Sri Lanka as there are "concerns about players' safety".
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka has apologised to his countrymen for their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.
The 34-year-old mystery spinner rewrote the record books during the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, casting a spell of his bamboozling spin magic on the Proteas batters, four of them surrendering to his bowling.
Star Sports withdraws its controversial 'cupcake' promo targeting South Africa after India's 76-run loss in the T20 World Cup Super 8 clash.
Steyn, however, said his team had "exceeded expectations" on their tour of India.
With India set to name their T20 World Cup 2026 squad on Saturday in Mumbai, the spotlight has firmly shifted to Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav, whose recent struggles have turned the selection meeting into a high-stakes call.
England bowling coach Tim Southee praised Jofra Archer's 'unbelievable skill' and backed Jos Buttler to rediscover form ahead of England's T20 World Cup Super Eight clash against New Zealand.
Shubman Gill is set to use the Vijay Hazare Trophy as his first platform for response after being left out of India's 2026 T20 World Cup squad.
Indian ODI and Test skipper Gill recently suffered a significant setback after being dropped from the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup and the New Zealand T20I series due to fitness and form concerns.
England's Harry Brook expresses concern over reports that Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred may refrain from picking Pakistan players due to political tensions, emphasizing the value and excitement they bring to the competition.
"Gill should cement his place at the top order in T20": Irfan Pathan
Sanju Samson marked his selection for the T20 World Cup with a quiet but powerful statement, underlining his belief and pride after retaining his place in India's squad.
Defending champions India will take on the USA in one of the three matches on the opening day of the tournament.
Ravichandran Ashwin criticises India's team combination and batting order after their 76-run defeat to South Africa in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, questioning Rinku Singh's No.8 slot and Axar Patel's omission.
Ravi Shastri urges Abhishek Sharma to stay patient after back-to-back ducks in the T20 World Cup 2026, while hailing Ishan Kishan's match-winning knock vs Pakistan.
All-rounder Axar Patel was named vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of in-form Ishan Kishan, who pipped Jitesh Sharma as the second wicketkeeper behind Sanju Samson.
Suryakumar Yadav backs struggling Abhishek Sharma ahead of India's Super 8 clash vs South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026.
The West Indies and Zimbabwe, both undefeated in the first round, will clash in a crucial T20 World Cup Super Eight match. The West Indies' power-hitting prowess will be tested against Zimbabwe's resilience and all-round strength.
Hardik Pandya celebrated girlfriend Mahieka Sharma's 25th birthday with a romantic post on social media on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta feels that India's T20I vice-captain Shubham Gill, who is currently struggling to get going in the shortest format, has to play a similar role what Virat Kohli did for so long by consistently holding on to one end.
'My role is not to impose a system, but to nurture an environment where athleticism, awareness, and pride in the field can grow naturally.'
India bowling coach Morne Morkel backs Varun Chakaravarthy as a key strike bowler, stresses collective pressure ahead of T20 World Cup Super 8 clash vs South Africa.
England captain Harry Brook acknowledges underestimating opponents in the group stage of the T20 World Cup and anticipates a stronger showing in the Super 8s, starting with their match against Sri Lanka.
If starting with Jitesh Sharma in the last three T20s in Australia felt like an experiment, his selection over fellow wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson in the series opener against South Africa provided ample clarity over team management's thought process going in to the World Cup at home.
Sanju Samson's quickfire 24 off 15 gave India a flying start against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup Super 8 clash, drawing mixed reactions from fans and praise from Irfan Pathan and Dinesh Karthik.
Harmanpreet Kaur has become the most capped international player in women's cricket history, surpassing Suzie Bates during the second T20I against Australia in Canberra.
Pakistan will tour Bangladesh in March for a three-match ODI series in Dhaka as part of preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
South Africa say Ahmedabad familiarity and recent India series help preparation for T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash.
Morne Morkel backs India's batting unit to improve against spin ahead of Super Eight clash vs South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup.
The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was called off on Wednesday owing to poor visibility after a dense layer of smog engulfed the Ekana Stadium raising serious questions about BCCI's scheduling of matches in northern part of India during peak winter month.
Sunil Gavaskar says India played with overconfidence and failed to adapt in their 76-run T20 World Cup defeat to South Africa, and backs Axar Patel's return for the Zimbabwe clash.
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