Team India Report Card: Perfect finish to a not-so-perfect T20 World Cup campaign

Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma of India lift the T20 World Cup trophy. (Getty Images)

They were the overwhelming favourites coming into the tournament — a stunning run since winning the 2024 edition, playing in familiar home conditions and with almost all the players in form. But the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 did not pan out as expected for the defending champions and co-hosts India.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Reaching the Super Eights was never going to be an issue, with the expanded 20-team tournament featuring several associate nations. But the real challenge was getting past the Super 8s and qualifying for the knockouts. And there, India were tested as they were hammered by South Africa in their first Super 8 match.

After that, it was a must-win situation for India, especially in the final Super 8 clash against West Indies. It required some superb individual performances to carry the team forward.

India were not completely in control even in the semi-final against England despite posting a record 253/7, eventually winning by just seven runs. Finally, riding on another blockbuster batting display in the summit clash, they thrashed New Zealand by a record 96 runs to defend the title.India rewrote T20 World Cup history with this win — becoming the first team to defend the title and the first to win it at home. They also became the first team to win the tournament three times, adding to their triumphs in 2007 and 2024.Despite it being a not-so-perfect campaign, Indian players somehow scraped through as they won their third ICC title on the trot — T20 World Cup 2024, Champions Trophy 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026.

Here’s how Team India’s players performed in this month-long tournament: Suryakumar Yadav (captain) — 6.5/10The India skipper started the campaign with an unbeaten 84 against USA in the tournament opener when the team was struggling at 77/6, but he did not have much success with the bat in the next eight matches, ending with a golden duck in the final.It was a topsy-turvy campaign as captain too, but he kept his wits intact, especially in the final, to guide India home. Surya, however, contributed consistently with the bat and finished with 242 runs – third most in the team – at an average of 30.25 and a strike rate of 136.72.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

India head coach Gautam Gambhir with captain Suryakumar Yadav. (Pic credit: BCCI)

Abhishek Sharma (Opener) — 4/10Everything that could go wrong went wrong for the World No.1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma.He started the tournament with a hat-trick of ducks. A 55 against Zimbabwe in the must-win Super 8 match gave some hope, but he struggled again against West Indies in the virtual quarter-final and England in the semi-final.Abhishek, however, repaid the team management’s faith by scoring a quick-fire 52 off 21 balls against New Zealand in the final.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson (ANI Photo)

Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper-opener) — 9/10Undoubtedly one of the heroes of India’s campaign, Sanju Samson made the difference in the title defence. Samson lost his place in the starting XI to Ishan Kishan before the tournament.He got just one game in the group stage before getting his opportunity in the Super 8s after India were hammered by South Africa.Samson then made the tournament his own with a stunning unbeaten 97 off 50 balls against West Indies in the virtual quarter-final. It was followed by two identical scores of 89 in the semi-final and final, joining the elite group featuring Shahid Afridi (2009) and Virat Kohli (2014) to achieve the feat.He ended the campaign as the second-highest run-getter with 321 runs and also hit the most sixes in the tournament — 24 — all in just five innings.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Ishan Kishan (AP Photo)

Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper-opener) — 8/10It was one of the best comeback stories, as Ishan Kishan nudged Sanju Samson out of the opening slot alongside Abhishek Sharma before the tournament.When Abhishek was struggling for runs, it was Ishan who kept the scoreboard moving at the top, scoring 61 against Namibia and 77 against Pakistan in the group stage.He later lost the opening slot after Samson was promoted to open with India needing wins in the final four matches. But it did not deter him as he continued contributing at No.3, including 39 off 18 against England in the semi-final and 54 off 25 in the final against New Zealand.Ishan finished as India’s second-highest run-getter and third overall with 317 runs.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Hardik Pandya (Getty Images)

Hardik Pandya (Pace all-rounder) — 7/10India’s evergreen X-factor Hardik Pandya had another successful campaign, scoring quick runs, providing crucial breakthroughs and being a livewire in the field.Batting at No.5 or lower, Hardik scored two fifties and played his part in giving India strong finishes. He ended with 217 runs.With the ball, he provided timely breakthroughs and finished with nine wickets. His all-round performance against Namibia — 52 off 28 balls and 2 for 21 — earned him the Player of the Match award.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Tilak Varma (Batter) — 6/10India’s designated No.3 batter Tilak Varma had a below-par outing initially and often struggled to get going. The disappointing opening stands before Samson’s promotion did not help either.Except for a 16-ball 25 against USA, his strike rate remained a concern. In the next four innings at No.3, his strike rate stayed below 120, putting pressure on the middle order.However, once Samson moved to the top and Ishan batted at No.3, Tilak was pushed down the order and found his rhythm. His unbeaten 44 off 16 against Zimbabwe, 27 off 15 against West Indies and 21 off seven against England in the semi-final helped India reach the final.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Shivam Dube, left, and Tilak Varma (AP Photo)

Shivam Dube (Pace all-rounder) — 7/10Shivam Dube played the middle-overs enforcer’s role effectively. He consistently scored quick runs to give India strong finishes.His 66 off 31 balls against Netherlands, along with figures of 2/35, helped India remain unbeaten in the group stage. Dube was run out three times while attempting quick runs, reflecting his aggressive intent.Although he picked up five wickets with his medium pace, it was his batting that stood out. His unbeaten 26 off just eight balls played a key role in taking India’s total in the final to 255/5, well beyond New Zealand’s reach.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Axar Patel (Spin all-rounder) — 6.5/10Vice-captain Axar Patel was a livewire in the field, proving the phrase “catches win matches” — particularly in the semi-final against England, where his fielding efforts broke crucial partnerships.He also picked up important wickets, including three in the final, and finished with 11 wickets in seven matches.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Jasprit Bumrah (AP Photo)

Jasprit Bumrah (Pacer) — 9/10India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah once again proved why he is head and shoulder above the rest.He picked wickets in almost every match and delivered an excellent spell of 3/15 against South Africa too despite India’s big defeat. But his defining performance came in the final against New Zealand.Defending a massive target, Bumrah produced a sensational spell of 4 for 15 — the best figures by a pacer in a T20 World Cup final.He finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 14 wickets, alongside Varun Chakaravarthy, while maintaining a superb economy rate of 6.21.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Varun Chakaravarthy (Mystery spinner) — 5/10The World No.1 T20I bowler began the tournament strongly, claiming nine wickets in the group stage, including 2/17 against Pakistan.However, his form dipped in the Super 8 stage. He was hammered for 47 runs by South Africa and struggled to regain control.His toughest outing came in the semi-final against England, where he conceded a record 64 runs in four overs.After the group stage, he returned figures of five wickets for 225 runs in five games — a stark contrast to his group-stage performance of nine wickets for 62 runs. Still, his early exploits ensured he finished joint-highest wicket-taker with Bumrah with 14 wickets.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Varun Chakravarthy, left, and captain Suryakumar Yadav (AP Photo)

Arshdeep Singh (Pacer) — 6/10Arshdeep Singh was not at his wicket-taking best. The leading wicket-taker in T20Is for India returned nine wickets from eight innings and went wicketless in the final.His best figures were 3 for 24 against Zimbabwe, while his most expensive outing came against England in the high-scoring semi-final.Overall, it was a decent campaign, though overshadowed by Bumrah’s brilliance.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Rinku Singh (Middle-order batter) — 2/10India’s designated finisher Rinku Singh had a disappointing campaign and eventually lost his place when Sanju Samson was drafted in at the top.His final outing was a two-ball duck against South Africa in the first Super 8 match.Rinku finished with just 24 runs from five innings at a strike rate of 82.75 — well below expectations for a finisher’s role.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Rinku Singh (PTI Photo)

Washington Sundar (Spin all-rounder) — 3/10Washington Sundar played just two matches and remained wicketless in both — 0/36 in four overs against Netherlands and 0/17 in two overs against South Africa.He lost his place after Axar Patel returned to the playing XI.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Kuldeep Yadav (Spinner) — 7/10With the team management persisting with Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav featured in just one match — against Pakistan.He returned figures of 1 for 14 in three overs. It was difficult to judge his performance from a single outing in a long tournament, and it was unfortunate he did not get more opportunities.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats:

Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj (PTI Photo)

Mohammed Siraj (Pacer) — 7/10Mohammed Siraj also played just one match — India’s tournament opener against the USA.He made an immediate impact, returning figures of 3 for 29 in four overs and finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the match.However, the return of Jasprit Bumrah in the next game meant Siraj had to sit out due to team combination.T20 World Cup 2026 Stats: