2025 was quite a year for Team India, especially in T20s, with all the new players coming up. We had some incredible victories but also some tough losses. Still, you can't dwell on the past too much in sports.
Forget 2025, 2026 is what matters now! We've got another T20 World Cup coming up and the end of the World Test Championship.
India's got so much talent, it's wild. Seriously, we could make like three good teams. But talent isn't everything. We've still got some big problems we need to fix.
Like making New Year's resolutions, the BCCI and team leaders need to set some real goals for 2026 and stick to them. Here's what Team India *needs* to do to have a great year:
Okay, let's be honest. Whenever Jasprit Bumrah goes all-out or even looks a bit off after bowling, everyone in India gets super nervous.
Back in 2025, it was super clear: When Bumrah is on the field, India looks amazing. But if he's taking a break, or worse, dealing with a minor pain, our bowling gets way less intimidating. We just don't have the same control, and teams aren't as scared of us.
So, for 2026, we gotta figure out how to not rely on him so much. We can't go into big games hoping he stays in shape for every single ball. We seriously need a Plan B that actually works.
Maybe it's giving Mohammed Siraj more chances to lead, or pushing some of those excellent young bowlers from the IPL into regular cricket. Either way, other players need to get better. We need a whole group of good bowlers, not just one star doing everything.
This is a challenging conversation because we love them, but it has to happen. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are absolute legends. They are probably the best spin duo in Test history. They have made playing in India a nightmare for visiting teams for over a decade.
But guys, they aren't getting any younger. Father Time is undefeated. As they get deeper into their late 30s, the reality is they won't be around forever.
India cannot afford to be caught napping when that day finally comes. 2026 has to be the year where the "next-in-line" spinners get proper game time in big Test matches, not just when the seniors need a rest against weaker teams.
We know Kuldeep Yadav is ready, but who is the second red-ball spinner? Is Axar Patel the permanent replacement? Are we grooming a young off-spinner from domestic cricket? Waiting until Ashwin or Jadeja retire entirely to find their replacements is a recipe for disaster. We need a smooth transition, not a sudden shock.
Right now, the 50-over format feels like the neglected middle child of Indian cricket. Sandwiched between the fast-paced T20s and the prestige of Test cricket, our ODI team looks a bit confused.
Since that heartbreaking 2023 World Cup final, we haven't really seemed sure of our identity in this format. Are we sticking to the old-school "build slowly and smash at the end" model? Or are we trying to copy England and go all-out attack from ball one?
The T20 team has a clear, aggressive identity now with the youngsters. The Test team knows its job. But the ODI setup feels like a weird mix of old and new philosophies clashing. Before 2026 gets busy, Coach Gambhir and the captain need to sit down and sketch out a clear blueprint. We can't go into major tournaments confused tactically and hope individual brilliance bails us out.
Feels like we’ve made this resolution every year since Kapil Dev retired, doesn't it?
At home in India, our team balance is perfect because Jadeja, Ashwin, and Axar can all bat. We are spoiled. But the second we travel to places like England, Australia, or South Africa, where spin isn't king, our balance goes for a toss.
We desperately need that one guy in the top seven who can bat properly and also give the captain 10-15 reliable overs of medium pace when the main bowlers are tired. Hardik Pandya not playing Tests leaves a massive hole here. We’ve tried Shardul Thakur; we are looking at newer guys like Nitish Kumar Reddy. Whoever it is, they need a consistent run in 2026. We can't keep playing overseas Tests with a super long tail and hoping our top order scores 500 runs every time.
2025 was the warm-up lap. The honeymoon period for the new leadership group is officially over. 2026 is where it gets real. Fans won't accept "learning curves" anymore when World Cups are on the line.
If India can actually fix these four things: pace depth, spin future, ODI confusion, and team balance, 2026 won't just be another year; it could be the year.
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