T20 World Cup 2026: ‘Death bowling is a concern’ - Dinesh Karthik flags key area India must address

Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik stated that India are in a very strong position heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup, having won the majority of their matches in the build-up to the tournament. However, he pointed out that death bowling remains a concern, particularly due to the team’s combination and their heavy reliance on spinners in the playing XI.

The Men in Blue will begin their campaign against the USA on February 7 and have been placed in Group A, alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands,

and the USA. In the lead-up to the tournament, India have leaned significantly on their spin attack, which has played a key role in their recent success.

Karthik acknowledged that India’s record in the T20 format has been phenomenal, especially in a format that can be unpredictable. However, he cautioned that no match will be easy in a tournament of this scale, stressing the importance of addressing key areas such as bowling at the death.

“The Indian team is in a very strong position at the moment. As we sit here, they have won 29 out of the 36 matches they have played in T20 cricket post the World Cup, which is a phenomenal record to have. In a very fickle format like T20, where upsets are the norm, this level of consistency is remarkable. Winning 29 out of the last 36 games they have played is, I feel, very hard to replicate. For starters, it tells you about the strength of the team,” said Karthik on JioStar’s ‘The Experts’ View.’

“They have also played a very good Asia Cup in the recent past and went past Pakistan in the final, beating them three out of three times. If you look at the depth of this group, there’s India, there’s Pakistan, and then there are three associate nations who are still finding their feet at the international level. You would expect India or Pakistan to beat them, but the beauty of this format is that you cannot walk into any game thinking it is going to be easy,” he added.

For India, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel have completely dominated the proceedings with their spin bowling. Among India’s top five wicket-takers since their T20 World Cup triumph in 2024, Arshdeep Singh is the only fast bowler, having claimed 31 wickets in 20 matches. Chakravarthy has been exceptional, leading the Indian bowling attack with 53 wickets in 27 matches at a remarkable average of 13, placing him at the top of the wicket-taking charts.

“You lose the toss, you are bowling, and suddenly, you are thinking this could be challenging at the back end. You need to get an above-par score to give yourself a chance to defend under dew. So, I would say India are in a very good place,” said Karthik.

“Death bowling is a concern. I think it’s a challenge because of the way they stack up their eleven. When they have played in the subcontinent, they have gone with (Jasprit) Bumrah, Hardik (Pandya) as the second pacer, and Shivam Dube as the third, while backing their spinners heavily. At times, when the game goes deep, especially when they are defending a total, the back end can become a challenge,” he added.