‘Any team will play these four’: Ravichandran Ashwin picks India’s best bowling attack for the T20 World Cup 2026

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As the world prepares for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the anticipation is reaching its peak for what promises to be a landmark event in cricket history. Co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February and March 2026, this tournament will feature 20 teams competing across some of the most iconic venues in the subcontinent.

Defending champions India will enter as firm favorites, looking to leverage home conditions and a squad brimming with young T20 specialists. With tactical debates intensifying, the focus has shifted to maintaining the core strength that secured India the title in 2024. The tournament is expected to be a high-scoring affair, but the spin-friendly tracks will ensure that bowlers remain the ultimate game-changers. Amidst this, veteran strategist Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced a strong opinion on why India must prioritize their bowling quartet to ensure back-to-back glory.

In a recent discussion on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin emphasized that India’s ‘best four’  bowlers, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, must be the first names on the team sheet. He argued that the variety offered by this group is unmatched in world cricket and was the primary reason for India’s previous success in 2024.

Ashwin challenged the conventional wisdom of sacrificing a bowler for an extra batter, asserting that the defensive stability and wicket-taking threat of these specialists are what truly win championships. He specifically pointed out that in the high-stakes environment of a World Cup, having bowlers who can thrive under pressure is more valuable than having a deep batting tail that might never be needed.

For Ashwin, these four represent the pinnacle of India’s current T20 arsenal, and their presence alone provides the balance required to beat any opposition in the world. He believes that winning and losing are not tied to the number of batters, but to the potency of the attack.

“You know Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep in your line-up. Why do you want to drop these four bowlers? You have Axar and Hardik as well. We have six bowling options. Why are you worried then? We can lose having eight batters and six bowlers also. We can lose with seven batters and four bowlers also. Winning and losing are not associated here. We won the T20 World Cup because of our bowling attack. Remember that. Back the bowling. We have good bowlers.” Ashwin said.

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Ashwin further elaborated on the unique skill sets of these individuals, highlighting how their combination creates a tactical nightmare for any opposition in the current T20 landscape. He highlighted that very few batters in the world possess the technique or the temperament to consistently read the variations of Kuldeep and Varun, especially on subcontinental tracks.

Similarly, he noted that Bumrah remains a singular threat that most teams simply try to survive rather than attack, while Arshdeep provides the ‘brains’ and left-arm variety necessary to excel at the death. According to Ashwin, the intelligence and adaptability of this specific quartet make them an ‘unbeatable’ unit if allowed to play together consistently. He expressed that any captain or coach in the world would jump at the chance to field these four names together in their starting XI. Ashwin’s plea to the team management is simple: stop over-complicating the lineup by looking for extra batting depth and start trusting the specialist bowlers who have already proven they can deliver the world title.

“There are very few batters in today’s T20 landscape who can read Kuldeep and Varun. Batters who can properly hit Bumrah are very few. Bowlers with brains like Arshdeep who can swing the ball and do well at the death as well, and back themselves are very few. If there is an opportunity, I will play my best four bowlers. You give this team to anyone in the world, and they will play these four.” Ashwin concluded.

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