The weight of expectations will sit lightly on their shoulders when a marauding India open their T20 World Cup campaign against a spirited USA in Mumbai on Saturday, hoping to become the first team to defend the coveted crown.
World number one India have only gone from strength to strength despite losing two pillars in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from their title-winning campaign of 2024, ratcheting up an overall nine series wins since, including a rampant run in the Asia Cup last year.
The final pieces of the puzzle have also fallen in place for them with skipper Suryakumar Yadav making a strong comeback after a horrendous run with the bat in 2025. Ishan Kishan has made an explosive return as well to claim the opening slot as wicketkeeper-batter.
An on-song Ishan will pair up with Abhishek Sharma, who is marked for excellence and domination in the world event given his pedigree and batting approach tailor-made for the slam-bang format.
India's run-up to this tournament has been compared to the Australia of 2007 ODI World Cup, a different era and in a different format. But the notion gets fuel from the fact that there isn't a single base that they have not covered.
Suryakumar's return to form, the assurance of Tilak Varma in the middle and the rich arsenal of all-rounders in Hardik Pandya, vice-captain Axar Patel and Shivam Dube makes this batting line-up incredibly tough to stop.
Also in the ranks is Rinku Singh, another batter of high calibre who would have his task cut-out as a finisher.
Jasprit Bumrah has been handled with utmost care as India have come to realise his true value and requisite presence for big-ticket events. He will have the tidy Arshdeep Singh for company with the new ball, while Harshit Rana's presence could also extend that batting line-up.
When in flow, Rana can crank up pace a notch or two above 140kmph which again provides another dimension to this Indian fast-bowling attack.
In Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, India have two of the world's best spinners for the format but their challenge would be to overcome the dew factor, which the legendary MS Dhoni has singled out as the trouble that could irritate the co-hosts.
In their bid to ensure the best possible squad of 15 is available for this tournament, selectors and team management have meticulously carved out this group. It doesn't include either Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal, and India's pursuit of excellence could also keep the mercurial Sanju Samson off the playing eleven.
Suryakumar is set to find some familiar faces donning the US jersey when he takes the field here on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium.
It's a venue where he once played and shared the dressing room with Shubham Ranjane, with Harmeet Singh and Saurabh Netravalkar being the other 'once-local' players.
The collective knowledge of the pitch and conditions at this venue will help the three travelling 'Mumbaikars' give additional confidence to their team as they look to build on the success from the previous tournament in their backyard.
The USA had not only beaten a former champion Pakistan with their persistence but also thrown up punches against India in a campaign which saw them making the Super Eight stage two years ago. It will be imperative to build on the momentum for the gutsy side.
The USA team won eight of their nine matches last year and are coming into this T20 World Cup with a three-week camp in Sri Lanka, ensuring an adequate buildup even though they cross paths with higher-ranked teams only in world events.
Skipper Monank Patel has led from the front with the bat and was backed up well by the likes of Saiteja Mukkamalla and Milind Kumar, while the experience of the Indian troika in Netravalkar, Harmeet and Ranjane will be vital in the bowling department.
In their second warm-up match, the USA gave a fine account of themselves against New Zealand when they ran the Kiwis close in a high-scoring contest losing by only seven runs.
The shorter boundary limits of the Wankhede Stadium and flatness of the pitch will thus drive USA to believe they have a similar chance against India, provided their batters find a way against the Indian pace attack.
Teams (from):
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vc), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.
USA: Monank Patel (c), Andries Gous (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Shayan Jahangir, Harmeet Singh, Shehan Jayasuriya, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Milind Kumar, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar.
Match starts at 7:00pm IST.
