Rohit Sharma has named a young batter as India’s biggest match-winner ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. He praised the player’s attitude and temperament, saying those qualities make him stand out and capable of winning games for India.
Former Team India captain and star batter Rohit Sharma picked a young Indian batter as the ‘biggest match-winner’ for the Men in Blue ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Team India will enter the marquee event as the defending champions, having won the title in 2024 under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
In December last year, the BCCI announced the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, and the selected players will have their final preparations for the tournament in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, starting on January 21. Team India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, with Axar Patel as his deputy in the upcoming edition of the marquee event.
The likes of Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, and Harshit Rana are set to make their T20 World Cup debut on home soil, as India is a co-host of the tournament alongside Sri Lanka, which will begin on February 7. The veterans, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, would not be part of the marquee event this time as the trio retired from T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.
‘Tilak Varma’s Attitude is Excellent’
As Team India is set to begin their quest for the T20 World Cup title defence in February, former captain Rohit Sharma praised young Indian batter Tilak Varma.
Speaking on the Star Sports Show ‘Captain Rohit Sharma’s Roadmap’, former India captain lauded Tilak’s attitude and temperament, highlighting his innings in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan as proof that he has the qualities of a big-match-winner for India.
“I feel Tilak has something special. His attitude is excellent, and especially his temperament is superb,” the 38-year-old.
“The way Tilak played that innings in the Asia Cup final was unbelievable. In that knock, he showed glimpses of a match-winner and proved that he is India’s biggest match-winner,” he added.
Tilak Varma played an instrumental role in Team India’s title at the Asia Cup 2025. In the final against Pakistan, the 23-year-old was the standout batter for the Men in Blue as he displayed his remarkable composure, rotating the strike effectively before switching gears and playing an unbeaten match-winning knock of 69 off 53 balls, guiding the team to a thrilling five-wicket win.
The southpaw was the second-highest run-getter for Team India in the tournament, aggregating 213 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 71 in seven matches.
Tilak Varma Likely to be Fit in Time before T20 World Cup
Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the first three T20Is of the five-match series against New Zealand after sustaining an abdominal injury during the Vijay Hazare Trophy match, for which he underwent surgery. The southpaw’s availability for the final two matches of the T20I series and the T20 World Cup will depend on how quickly he regains his fitness after undergoing surgery.
Tilak Varma is one of the key players in India squad for the marquee event, as his versatility in the middle order and ability to finish games make him a vital asset in big-match situations. In December last year, the southpaw was the top batter in the T20I series between India and South Africa, scoring 186 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 130.99 in four matches.
Tilak Varma has a good record while batting at No.3 and No.4 in T20Is, making him versalite batter. At the No.3 spot, the southpaw has amassed 542 runs, including two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 60.22 in 16 T20I matches. While batting at the No.4 position, the southpaw has aggregated 490 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 54.44 in 16 matches.
In his T20I career, Tilak has aggregated 1183 runs, including two centuries and 6 fifties, at an average of 49.29 and a strike rate of 144.09 in 40 matches.