“This team is one of the best in the world and they are favourites” – Deep Dasgupta on India and T20 World Cup

In this episode of Backstage with Boria, broadcaster and former cricketer Deep Dasgupta shares his views on whether India can defend their title at the T20 World Cup 2026, Sanju Samson’s place in the T20 line-up, Gautam Gambhir’s influence in the T20 format, how unfair the situation has been for Bangladeshi players following their exit from the T20 World Cup, and more.

Boria: It will be a travesty if this Team India doesn’t do well in the World Cup.

Deep: Yes, I will be disappointed. New Zealand has the best bowling attack at the moment, but India and New Zealand are playing at two very different levels. India is playing fearless cricket 2.0, and their performance doesn’t depend on conditions, with players like Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma in the team. India started playing T20s in a different mode under Rohit Sharma, and they have simply carried that fearless cricket forward.

Boria: Where do you stand on Sanju Samson, given that Tilak Varma will be fit soon? Do you see the possibility of Ishan Kishan moving up the order?

Deep: I would say yes. Samson hasn’t scored runs in this series so far, but it’s a high-risk, high-reward format. I think he should be given more chances, especially with Tilak not being available for this series. Mental space matters a lot because we can’t see what’s going on inside a player’s mind, and we know what Samson is capable of. That said, I feel he should definitely be given a chance in this series, without a shadow of doubt.

Boria: Where do you stand on Ishan Kishan?

Deep: Ishan is obviously going to play the next two games, and we hope he continues batting the way he has been. As for Sanju, we can take a call during the warm-up games, based on how he performs in the rest of this series and where he is mentally, provided Tilak is back for the first game. Another question is, if Ishan Kishan is one of the two left-handers opening, then who bats at number three – Tilak or Suryakumar? I feel if two left-handers open and Tilak comes in at three, then Suryakumar slots in at four.

Boria: Now that the captain is coming good, it should rub off on his captaincy as well. Your thoughts?

Deep: Yes, a captain’s form always reflects on the team environment. It helps the captain take better decisions because of confidence in their own form. That’s the case with Suryakumar as well, and it’s visible in decisions like using Ravi Bishnoi in the powerplay, which worked beautifully.

Boria: This Indian team is allowing the captain to get settled with the seven to ten balls he needs.

Deep: Over the last few months, it seems Suryakumar has preferred playing more on the leg side and behind the wicket. Most of his dismissals in the South Africa series came when he was trying to play on the on side. But in this series, or even in the last game of the SA series, he started using the off side more, which has been a massive change. Once he starts playing through the off side, the on side comes naturally to him along with the rest of his shots. That’s why, in the Guwahati game, we saw those trademark Surya shots. The key was not being biased towards the on side.

Boria: Where do you stand on the Bangladesh situation?

Deep: I feel bad for the players. They were a fairly good side led by Litton Das. Not everyone gets to play a World Cup, and I feel especially bad for the younger players who were coming in and could have tested themselves against the best in the world. Everything was planned and then suddenly there was an issue. Bangladesh could have been smarter about this.

Boria: Pakistan is also showing political posturing of a very different nature.

Deep: They seem to have nudged Bangladesh into taking that call. I’ve been reading about their plans to boycott and all that, but with the World Cup just two weeks away, they should make up their minds already.

Boria: Do you think the cricketing world will eventually see through what Pakistan is doing?

Deep: Hopefully. It’s an ICC event, and they didn’t want to come to India, but that was decided long ago under the hybrid model, so what’s the issue now? Either way, they should make up their minds. I don’t think the ICC or BCCI would lose any sleep over this – Uganda is ranked 22 and will come in. Ultimately, it’s the players who will suffer.

Boria: Kuldeep Yadav has been a bit hot and cold. Are you worried about him? Your thoughts on India’s spin options – Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy?

Deep: The chances are low that India will go with three spinners. More likely, they’ll play three seamers and two spinners, with six bowling options overall.
As for Kuldeep, we were chatting and he mentioned there are certain things he isn’t happy with in ODIs and is working on. He bowled beautifully when he got a chance in the second game. In the third T20, he looked a little off, but I know for a fact he’s working on something. Left-arm wrist-spin is a very difficult art, so I think he’ll be fine. What matters is whether we get pitches where we can play both Kuldeep and Varun.

Boria: Whenever Hardik walks in, the balance of the team changes. I feel he’s one of the most valuable players in T20 cricket in the world. Your thoughts?

Deep: I would tend to agree. The way he bowls in the first six overs with the new ball gives you flexibility, especially if you’re unsure about Washington Sundar’s availability. If Washington isn’t available, apart from Axar, there’s no one else who can give you a couple of overs in the powerplay. With Hardik bowling the way he is, you’re not forced to use Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball. And Hardik isn’t just bowling – he’s picking up wickets, scoring runs, and as Surya said, “we’re not too obsessed with left-right combinations”. That means Hardik bats where he bats, and given the way he’s performing, he’s the MVP for me.

Boria: Abhishek Sharma seems unstoppable, where every ball feels like a game. How do you decode his playbook?

Deep: He has the big shots, but in the third T20 he didn’t play a single dot ball, which doesn’t mean he tries to hit every ball out of the park. He has other gears too. If you look at his defensive technique in the Ranji Trophy, we tend to miss those aspects even in T20 cricket. I see him as a non–one-dimensional player. His priority is a six first, then a four, and if neither is on, he takes a single to the other side. That shows how well-rounded a batter he is. That’s why he’s more consistent than other big hitters who end up being one-dimensional.

Boria: Thoughts on his fearlessness?

Deep: A player can be fearless, but after two low scores and all the criticism, what matters is how the team backs you. So a lot of credit goes to the management, support staff and coach for giving him that freedom – and, of course, credit to Abhishek for having that fearless mindset.

Boria: A word on Gautam Gambhir?

Deep: Gautam is looking good. In formats other than T20, there is a transition phase and he needs support there as well – we’ll discuss that later. But in T20s, we have ready-made talent like Rinku Singh, Bishnoi and Ishan, who come back and perform even after being out for a while. That kind of depth helps. So before judging Gambhir in other formats, we need to understand the nuances. The format that made Gautam the coach we know has maintained its standards.

Boria: Are you slightly worried about catching? It becomes a crucial factor in knockout tournaments.

Deep: Catching hasn’t been great for us. I was chatting with the fielding coach, T Dilip, and he mentioned that he’s working on a few technical aspects to improve it.

Boria: With 10 days to go for the World Cup, do you think this team has it in them to go in as defending champions and win it again?

Deep: Absolutely, without a shadow of doubt. Yes, history is against defending champions, and there’s that stat about host nations not winning, but irrespective of all that, I think this team is one of the best in the world – and for me, they are favourites.

Boria: Thank you very much for your time.

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Watch the full interview here