T20 World Cup defence, ODIs aplenty and tough Test assignments: India men's cricket team faces a packed 2026

New Delhi, Dec 24 After a roller coaster 2025, the Indian men’s cricket team faces a jam-packed 2026, headlined by a home T20 World Cup defence, lots of ODI matches, and some tough World Test Championship (WTC) assignments in overseas conditions.

It was a memorable 2025 for India, as they won the Champions Trophy in Dubai, especially with their four-pronged spin strategy bearing fruit. In terms of T20Is, the side’s upswing continued with wins in bilateral series at home and abroad, including the Asia Cup, although they have yet to hold the trophy in their hands.

But in terms of the Test team, results were mixed: a defeat to Australia in Sydney meant India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series 3-1 and bid goodbye to their hopes of entering the World Test Championship final. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara retired from the format to mark the start of a big transition in the Test team.

Shubman Gill became the new Test skipper and later took over as ODI captain. After a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, India got an easy 2-0 series win over the West Indies at home. However, the ghosts of the 3-0 series loss in New Zealand came back to haunt them when South Africa condemned them to a 2-0 defeat. India's batting order in Tests remains in flux, with persistent experimentation raising questions about role clarity and long-term planning.

But come 2026, the shortest format will be in focus big time, while ODIs take over the attention once the T20 World Cup is over. India's busy 2026 opens with New Zealand visiting for three ODIs and five T20Is, with the latter in huge focus due to the T20 World Cup happening on home soil and in Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will enter the tournament as defending champions. As per current form and squad personnel, India are primed to retain the title they claimed in Barbados in June 2024 and try to make history as the first hosting side to win a Men’s T20 World Cup. If that happens, India will also become the only team to have three titles in the T20 World Cup.

The post-T20 World Cup schedule, once the IPL 2026 jamboree is over, resumes in June with Afghanistan arriving in India for one Test (not under WTC cycle) and three ODIs. India will then quickly leave for a white-ball tour to England in July, featuring three ODIs and five T20Is.

India's World Test Championship assignments for 2026 begin in August with a two-Test series in Sri Lanka, a trip which will be a big examination for the side, who are yet to come to grips with how to play against spinners on spin-friendly pitches.

A brief three-match T20I stopover against Afghanistan in the UAE is on the cards in September. The likelihood of it happening is larger than the postponed tour to Bangladesh, which looks shaky to take place due to the recent tensions in the country. India will also travel for the Asian Games T20 event in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, where a second-string squad is expected to participate.

India will begin their 2026 home season when the West Indies arrive for three ODIs and five T20Is in September and October. After that, they will depart for a marquee overseas assignment in October and November – an all-format tour of New Zealand comprising two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.

India will wrap up the year by hosting Sri Lanka for three ODIs and three T20Is in December, as they continue to fine-tune their preparation for the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup. India's players and various stakeholders will have to be at their best in terms of workload management across all three formats while pursuing a silverware quest and constant victories in various bilateral series.

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