Focus on Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav in Dharamshala with 8 T20Is left for T20 World Cup 2026
India will only play home matches until the start of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
T-8. With each passing day, the T20 World Cup 2026 gets closer. The India vs South Africa T20I series is underway. This is why every match, including the Dharamshala T20I, is given the highest priority.
The Men in Blue have a sedentary unit. But the form remains a problem. The Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and vice-captain, Shubman Gill, were woefully out of touch. They include two of India’s top four batters, and the home side may fail to defend their T20 World Cup title if both struggle to earn runs.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra asked tough questions to Suryakumar. The 360-degree hitter has struggled to score runs ever since he was named India’s new T20I captain in July 2024.
“You are the captain of the team; your job is not just to bowl and manage the bowlers. It is not just to strategize. If you are batting in the top four, your main role is to score runs. It has been many matches. If you have an average of 14 in 17 innings and the strike rate is also not very good, you have not got a single one and you have crossed 25 only twice; been a problem on both sides of the IPL.” Aakash said on his YouTube channel.
Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav: T20I stats in 2025
| Matches | Works | The highest Score |
Average | Strike Rate |
hundreds | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gil |
20 | 506 | 66 | 31.62 | 136.38 | 0 | 2 |
| Suryakumar Yadav |
17 | 210 | 47* | 2:35 p.m. | 126.41 | 0 | 0 |
Meanwhile, Gill’s inclusion and struggles have long been criticized. He was included in the team during the 2025 Asia Cup, not only as the second opener but also as the vice-captain. But since then, Gill has played 13 innings and hasn’t even scored fifty.
Another former Indian cricketer, Mohammad Kaif, not only questioned Gill’s performance but urged the management to rest him during the 3rd T20I India vs South Africa and bring Samson back into the team.
“Gill tried everything. I think the time has come to give him a break and try some proven players. Sanju Samson is a high quality player; he didn’t have enough chances. There should be no double standards. Even the vice-captains have already been fired. If it’s in the team’s best interest to rest Gill and bring in someone else, there’s nothing wrong with that.”said Kaif.
India’s T20I schedule till T20 World Cup 2026
| Match | Date | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| India vs South Africa 2nd T20I | December 11 | Mullanpur, Chandigarh | 7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs South Africa 3rd T20I | December 14 | HPCA, Dharamshala | 7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs South Africa 4th T20I | December 17 | Cricket Ekana Stadium, Lucknow |
7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs South Africa 5th T20I | December 19 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs New Zealand 1st T20I | January 21 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur |
7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I | January 23 | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur |
7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I | January 25 | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati |
7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs New Zealand 4th T20I | January 28 | ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam |
7:00 p.m. IST |
| India vs New Zealand 5th T20I | January 31 | Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram |
7:00 p.m. IST |
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