'Good headache to have' - Suryakumar Yadav on team combination ahead of home T20 World Cup

Published - 08 Nov 2025, 16:54 IST | Updated - 08 Nov 2025, 17:23 IST

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has expressed his elation on winning the five-match series against Australia. India won the series by a 2-1 margin after the fifth and final encounter was called off due to rain and lightning at Gabba, Brisbane — the venue for the series decider. With a big challenge called Australia gone, Suryakumar has set his sight on the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which India will play at home.

Suryakumar has said that having a deadly bowling pair with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, apart from highly-skilled spinners like Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy. He also noted the performances of Washington Sundar, who can bring his all-round abilities into play. He further remarked that the India Women's team received immense love from the fans in their home World Cup glory, and that he would also love to replicate the same during the 2026 T20 World Cup as well.

"The way everyone chipped in and the way we came back from 0-1 down, credit to all the boys. Was a good series with bat, ball and in the field as well. Both fast bowlers and spinners know their job very well. Bumrah-Arshdeep is a lethal combination. And then Axar, Varun coming in doing what they do best. And Washi [Washington Sundar] coming in handy in the last game. They've played a lot of T20 cricket now, they bring a lot to the table and are backing themselves," Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.

"Good headache to have — lots of players have been doing really well. Playing three strong teams — Australia, SA and NZ — going to be a great buildup before the 2026 T20 World Cup. I saw recently what happened with the women's team winning the WC in India, unbelievable support [from the fans]. Going to be a good challenge, exciting tournament, but it's still far away. Two more series to go [before the T20 World Cup], Suryakumar concluded.

Notably, the Indian team will play five T20Is against South Africa at home in their upcoming contests in the shortest format of the game. Later, they're also slated to play as many T20Is right before the World Cup against New Zealand. The 20-team event is set to begin in the first week of February 2026, and the ICC has reportedly earmarked Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, New Delhi, and Mumbai as the Indian venues.