BEING DEFENDING CHAMPIONS, INDIA HAVE BUILT PRETTY WELL BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD CUPS SO THEIR HISTORY SHOULD BE POSITIVE ONE: IAN BISHOP

With less than a month to go before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 gets underway, Nasser Hussain, Dinesh Karthik, and Ian Bishop came together on JioStar’s 'The Experts’ View' to preview

the marquee event. The panel discussed the tournament in the subcontinent, sharing their insights on the format, conditions and the challenges facing India as they look to defend their title.

Speaking on JioStar's 'The Experts’ View', former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop factored in the importance of history ahead of the new edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup:

"History has some bearing, but I don’t think it is the be-all and end-all. There are a number of examples and cautionary tales. West Indies were champions in 2016, but when the tournament was played again in 2021, they didn’t go very far. From the women’s side, a team like New Zealand came in after losing a whole heap of games and then went on to win the World Cup in 2024. With India being the defending champions, it depends on how they’ve built between World Cups, and I think they’ve built pretty well. So their history will be a positive one."

Speaking on JioStar's 'The Experts’ View', former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik shared his thoughts on the defending champions, Team India:

"India are a very tough team to beat in most parts of the world, but when it comes to their own backyard, they play some seriously good cricket. Everybody is aware of the depth in Indian cricket, which is fascinating to see because they could almost put up a couple of teams and still compete—if not against each other, then against the rest of the world, quite comfortably, given the recent success they’ve had. It’s a fairly fresh team they’re coming up with now. There are no longer the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They have a new Captain in Suryakumar Yadav and a very young side, and they’ve played some fabulous, very attacking cricket."

On dew being a huge factor in India and Sri Lanka in February-March:

"One of the biggest challenges in India at that time of year is dew, which plays a massive role. I remember the 2016 semi-final, when Virat played a brilliant knock, but it was the dew that ultimately hurt India. They found it difficult to field, and that day at the Wankhede Stadium, the West Indies smashed India. India scored 190-plus, and it was chased down, I think, in the 18th or 19th over. Dew played a huge part in that game. So that is the biggest challenge when you come to the subcontinent, especially in India."

Speaking on JioStar's 'The Experts’ View', former England Captain Nasser Hussain touched upon the evolution of T20 cricket:

"Teams have gravitated towards white-ball specialists, and those white-ball specialists have gravitated towards T20 cricket because of its popularity. However much people of a certain age, like myself, love Test cricket, if you go around, especially in this part of the world, and ask fans what their favourite format to watch is, many will say T20 cricket. That’s why a T20 World Cup becomes such a massive tournament, especially when it’s held in India and Sri Lanka. Players have moved in that direction and become specialists. And whether you like it or not, while you’re playing for your country, it also becomes a bit of a shop window. Perform well in a World Cup semi-final or final, and franchises around the world are watching and saying, ‘There’s someone who delivered on the biggest stage under immense pressure and we may want to change their lives in the future.’ It’s a massive tournament, great fun, with so many teams, nations and stories. It’s also the format that produces upsets, the Netherlands beating England twice, beating South Africa once, knocking them out. That’s what T20 cricket does, and it’s something we all look forward to."