'If there is any change, it will only be due to fitness issues' - Abhishek Nayar provides massive update on India's T20 WC 2026 squad

Former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar feels India's 15-member team for the T20 World Cup 2026 will be the same as the one selected for the five-match series against South Africa. The 2026 T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka.

Nayar shared that only in the case of injuries the composition of the team could change. He stressed the need for continuity and opined that having the same players gain sufficient experience for the mega event will be the most essential for the defending champions.

"It will be the same squad. If there is any change, it will only be due to fitness issues; otherwise, you will see the same squad. It is a good thinking because you want the same combination that has been playing constantly to play from here till the World Cup. Along with this, you have to keep fitness in mind because if someone goes out from this team, then we have to see who will be their replacement. Keeping that in mind, this is the right team, and I feel it will be the same team in the World Cup," stated Nayar on JioStar.

India are currently featuring in an all-format series against the Proteas. The five-match T20I series will commence on Tuesday, December 9. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the squad for the series.

Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill return to the squad. Hardik had sustained a quadricep injury in the 2025 Asia Cup and was out for quite a while. He has recently made a comeback by representing Baroda in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The vice-captain of the T20I side, Gill had sustained a nerve-related neck issue during the red-ball leg of the South Africa tour.

India's squad for the T20I series against South Africa:

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar