T20 World Cup 2026: India is peaking at just the right time, says Sanjay Bangar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar has stated that the Indian team is peaking at the right time in the T20 World Cup 2026. His remarks came ahead of India’s final group-stage fixture against the Netherlands, scheduled for February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Bangar observed that the team has gathered strong momentum as the tournament progresses. He also praised India’s improved performance on what he described as a challenging track in Colombo. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India have already secured their place in the Super Eight stage following a comprehensive 61-run victory over Pakistan in Colombo. Prior to that, they registered convincing wins against the USA and Namibia.

“India has now picked up momentum. It seems that, looking at how the first match went, then the second, and in my opinion the third match as well, India played in a very impressive manner. In a tough situation, on a difficult pitch, they posted a good score. They batted well against quality spinners, which had been a concern earlier because in the first two matches wickets fell against spin. But when you face 18 overs of spin on that kind of surface and still manage to bat so well, and then dismiss the opposition cheaply, I think the Indian team is peaking at just the right time,” said Bangar on ESPNcricinfo.

The former batting coach also added that the hosts are likely to enjoy batting in Ahmedabad, as the conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium are expected to be highly favourable for stroke-makers.

“The Indian batsmen will enjoy batting here because the conditions are very good for batting. So far, the Indian team has batted first in all their matches. As far as I think, it’s possible they might have to chase in this match. But if they do have to chase, I’m not expecting such a big score to be chased. So, it will be another match where the team will want to play good cricket and maintain their consistency,” said Bangar.

Bangar feels that Arshdeep Singh could replace Kuldeep Yadav for the match against the Netherlands, depending on the team combination and conditions. India and the Netherlands have faced each other once before in a T20 World Cup, during the 2022 edition, where India registered a comfortable 56-run victory.

“There might be a slight change in the combination because the Indian team has shown that they are open to playing a third seamer as well. In the first match, they played Arshdeep and also Siraj. Then Bumrah returned. When Kuldeep was to be played, Arshdeep had to sit out. That was a condition-based call,” said Bangar.

“So I think when the Indian team plays in Ahmedabad, they could add a pace bowling option, and Arshdeep will likely come in place of Kuldeep. Siraj was essentially a backup for Jasprit Bumrah, and he has performed well. The team’s bench strength is good, so no one will mind because in a World Cup-type competition, the team combination matters more than how many matches a player has played,” he added.

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