As hosts and defending champions of the upcoming 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka in February-March, the Indian team find themselves in an interesting place. While India hold the title and plenty of momentum, head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that the team isn’t yet where it should be in terms of readiness. However, Gambhir asserted that there’s still so much time to get ready for the global event. India are going through a transition phase with veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja (from T20Is) having stepped back, and younger players stepping up. Meanwhile, Gambhir also stressed prioritising fitness.
"It has been a very transparent dressing room, it has been a very honest dressing room, and that is something how we want this dressing room to be. I think we still aren't where we want to be come the T20 World Cup," Gautam Gambhir said in a video shared by the BCCI on 'X'.
"Hopefully guys know the importance of being fit. We still have three months to be where we want to be," he stated.
Gambhir further asserted the importance of testing players under pressure to bring the best out of them. He highlighted Shubman Gill's success in his maiden series as the Test captain of the Indian side following Rohit Sharma's retirement. Shubman Gill, in his maiden series as Test captain, led India to a 2-2 draw against England. Moreover, he was the highest run-scorer in the series with 754 runs.
"Throw guys in the deep sea, as simple as it can get. We did the same with Shubman (Gill) as well when he was appointed as Test captain," Gambhir said.