Pakistan is expected to field four specialist bowlers, including two spinners and two pacers, in their crucial T20 World Cup match against India in Colombo.
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.
'Jitesh Sharma has shown he is quite a capable player. He can bat lower down the order and look to hit the big shots even with a slightly older ball.'
India begins their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA, aiming to leverage their strong team composition and recent form to secure a victory.
"Jaiswal, Dube and even Rahane will not be a part of the Mumbai squad for at least first two matches as the selection panel is going ahead with a young squad," Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil had earlier told PTI.
Defending champions India thumped Pakistan by 61 runs in a grudge Group A match of the T20 World Cup to secure their place in the Super 8s, in Colombo, on Sunday.
Kishan's statement knock, Surya's welcome fifty give India 2-0 lead
The experienced trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube failed with the bat to leave Mumbai India reeling against Vidarbha on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals.
'We knew it won't be easy to hit how much you may connect. Plan was to bowl smartly and when a batter is set, force him to hit on the bigger sides than small sides.'
IMAGES from the fourth T20I between Australia and India played in Carrara, Gold Coast on Thursday
S Badrinath reacts after Pakistan boycott India clash at T20 World Cup, joking it may be fear of India's explosive batting line-up.
In India's 100th T20I at home, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan struck explosive fifties as India chased down 209 with ease to beat New Zealand in Raipur, taking a 2-0 lead in the T20I series ahead of the World Cup.
While wickets fell in a steady procession at the other end, captain Suryakumar Yadav took it upon himself to anchor and attack and almost single-handedly hauled his side to a competitive total on a sluggish pitch.
Against Namibia on Thursday, February 12, 2026, Hardik delivered a clinical all-round performance, scoring a brilliant half-century and taking two wickets as India cruised to a commanding 93-run victory.
Sarfaraz's fastest fifty in vain as Punjab pip Mumbai by one run, finish top of Group C.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the opening match against USA?
Ravichandran Ashwin says Suryakumar Yadav's cameo in the opening T20I was a key World Cup boost, while backing India's World Cup combination and calling Arshdeep Singh a marquee bowler.
Ayush Mhatre created history as the youngest player to score a century across all three formats of professional cricket - First Class, List A and T20.
Musheer Khan, who had missed majority of the last domestic season 2024-25 after a car accident, finds his place back in the 16-member squad.
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.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner emphasizes the importance of pace variety in his team's bowling attack for the T20 World Cup, highlighting the different strengths of bowlers like Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, and Jacob Duffy.
India will be hoping that Abhishek Sharma returns to his destructive ways and the other batters up their game against spin when the side takes the field for its final T20 World Cup league fixture against the Netherlands.
The former South African batter pointed out that Rana does not have a lot of international experience with the new ball, but is well supported in the pace department.
USA bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk discusses his team's performance against India in the T20 World Cup, highlighting their strategic field placements and the importance of homework for Associate nations.
These comments come after India recently announced their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in his first-ever ICC tournament as captain, with Axar Patel named as his deputy.
Gill back in full flow, Hardik opts out of practice ahead of SA T20I series
Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur will also be aiming to continue his dream run for Mumbai so far.
India's World Cup winning captains -- Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepika T C and Rohit Sharma -- were honoured by the Reliance Foundation in Mumbai on Monday.
Suryakumar Yadav, who returned to form with a blazing 82* against New Zealand at Raipur, spoke on how he dealt with his lean patch
A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
In this rivalry, numbers fade and national pride takes centre stage.
The Namibia match could be a God-sent opportunity for an out-of-form Sanju Samson to get into run-scoring mode after a string of failures that saw him lose his place to Ishan Kishan, who is going through a purple patch.
Rohit Sharma offered a hilarious piece of advice to spinner Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the T20 World Cup this year from February 7.
Rinku Singh made a roaring return with a match-tilting 44 not out off 20 balls against New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday
Earlier, warm-up routines had players darting through shuttle runs and high knees before bats were unsheathed.
Shami plays sixth match in 11 days, bowls 15 dots
India crushed Namibia by 93 runs in the T20 World Cup, powered by Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, but concerns remain ahead of the Pakistan clash.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav dazzled with a vital half-century as defending champions India registered a scratchy 29-run win against the United States of America despite a stunning top-order collapse.
The controversial decision to select Shubman Gill in place of a well-settled Sanju Samson as the opener has backfired for the Indian team so far.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
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