Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India, has acknowledged that the team has been preparing for the 2026 T20 World Cup ever since the Men in Blue won the cup in 2024 under Rohit Sharma. India and Sri Lanka will host the international competition, which is scheduled to start on February 7.
The team’s five-match series against South Africa begins on Tuesday in Cuttack, but Suryakumar Yadav believes that this won’t be the beginning of their real preparations for the international competition. He also compared the scenario to how a student might achieve high test scores by studying all year long rather than starting arbitrarily a few days before the test.
“You see, immediately following our victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup, we began preparing for the 2026 tournament. At the pre-match news conference before the first Twenty20 International, Suryakumar Yadav informed the reporters, “The team cannot think of prepping in the last one or two months, if they want to win, before any big tournament.”
“Students who take exams as students must study for the entire year or two in order to pass; studying four days prior to the test will not help.”
Similarly, we are equally prepared. Fortunately, the things we have been attempting to accomplish have been going our way,” Suryakumar Yadav continued.
Many Indian players were occupied with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 prior to the series against the Proteas. In the lead-up to the series, prominent players including Varun Chakravarthy, Hardik Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, and Shivam Dube attended the elite domestic 20-over competition.
A player should always remember that domestic cricket is the foundation of any international player. They must perform in the domestic setup whenever they are free to do so, as the circumstances there are just as difficult,” Suryakumar Yadav said.
Additionally, you stay up to date with the game if you play in the domestic setup whenever it’s available. Before the series, Abhishek Sharma and a few other players participated in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, thus they must have gained some knowledge from the experience. Therefore, I think it’s crucial to play domestic cricket,” he continued.
The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack will host the opening game against South Africa on Tuesday, December 9.
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