Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has picked India’s toughest opponent in the T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to be played from February 7 to March 8 across five venues in India and three
in Sri Lanka. In the T20 World Cup 2026, India will face the USA, Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands in their Group A matches. But according to Patel, who has donned the hat of an expert and commentator after his retirement from professional cricket, Australia and not Pakistan will pose a tough challenge to India in the upcoming shortest-format mega-event.
In a video posted by Star Sports on X, Parthiv was asked if Australia will be India’s toughest opponent during the T20 World Cup. And he replied by saying, “Yes, definitely Australia will be a team to beat for India. Agar kisi bhi team ko World Cup jeetna hai kisi bhi format mein, toh Australia ko harana bahut jaruri hai (If any team wants to win the World Cup in any format, then it is a must to defeat Australia).
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India’s toughest opponent?Parthiv Patel steps up for a fun yet insightful True or False challenge ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 🔥
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup 2026 👉 Starts FEB 7 pic.twitter.com/s92bHMYWTR
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 26, 2026
In the 2007 T20 World Cup, India defeated Australia in the semifinals, and in the 2024 edition of the shortest-format mega-event, India got the better of Australia in their third Super 8s match. In the 2011 ODI World Cup, when India won the title under MS Dhoni’s leadership in front of home fans, India defeated Australia in the quarterfinal match.
Parthiv was also asked if India’s current opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson is more dangerous than the Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma pair in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and he said that yes, they (Abhishek and Samson) are. According to him, the way Abhishek and Samson bat, they will be more dangerous and the strike rate will be higher.
On being asked if world No. 1 T20I bowler Varun Chakaravarthy is currently the most difficult T20I spinner to face in world cricket, Parthiv said, “Without a doubt.”
