MS Dhoni believes India head into the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup with every box ticked, even if the former captain still frets over the evening dew that can swing a match on the toss of a coin.
The defending champions have won 51 of 59 T20Is since October 2023, a record that explains why many bookmakers rate them odds-on for a successful title defence. A batting order stacked with six-hitters and a bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy gives the squad enviable balance.
“What all is needed in a good team, everything is there,” Dhoni said at a promotional event. “They have the experience, especially when it comes to this format, the experience is vast. They have played under pressure. Whoever is playing whatever roles they are playing in the team, they have been in that situation for a considerable period of time.”
Yet the 42-year-old cannot shake off one long-standing concern. “What worries me, again, I hate dew,” he admitted. “Dew changes a lot of things. Even when I was playing, something that really scared me was dew, where the toss becomes crucial and all of that.”
In night fixtures, a damp ball tends to skid on, reducing grip for spinners and making yorkers harder to nail. That often tilts the advantage towards the chasing side. Tournament organisers have scheduled several group games for 19:30 local starts, so captains face a familiar dilemma: bat first and risk a wet outfield, or bowl first and chase whatever is posted.
Aakash Chopra, the former opener turned analyst, took a broader view, calling this version of India “an upgrade on the 2024 winners” and suggesting their depth makes them “firm favourites to defend their T20 World Cup crown”.
Dhoni, though, still sees T20 as cricket’s great leveller. “If we are playing ten matches against some of the best teams, we will come out as winners more often than not, if the conditions are neutral and all of that,” he said. At the same time he warned of off-days and opposition brilliance: “The problem is when some of your players have a day off and somebody from the opposition has a brilliant day, and it can happen in T20 cricket. So that’s the time – whether in the league stage or the knockout stage, that’s where all the praying is needed. You know, nobody should get injured. Whatever roles are given, people should accomplish their roles for the team. And if that’s the case, I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s one of the most dangerous teams.”
India open their campaign in Adelaide next Wednesday. Conditions there are usually dry, but, as Dhoni knows, a late-evening breeze can carry more than just noise from the stands.
