As Team India gears up for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, two legendary voices of Indian cricket Virender Sehwag and Krishnamachari Srikkanth have shared sharply contrasting opinions on how this tournament should shape India’s path to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
With the World Cup just six months away and India set to co host the marquee event with Sri Lanka, all eyes are on how the selectors and team management strategize their build up. The big talking point? The absence of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, who all played pivotal roles in India’s triumphant 2024 World Cup campaign in Barbados but have since stepped away from the shortest format.
Sehwag : “This is the perfect time to start building”
Former opener and explosive batsman Virender Sehwag believes the Asia Cup presents a golden opportunity to test India’s bench strength and start shaping a new core for 2026. Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Sehwag emphasized the importance of experimentation and team building in the tournament.
“I think in the T20 format, this Asia Cup can serve as great preparation for our 2026 T20 World Cup. It’s an opportunity to see which new players should be given chances and who can be included in the squad,” Sehwag said.
“In my opinion, there is no better opportunity for the Indian team to check its strength than the Asia Cup.”
Sehwag’s comments reflect the urgency to look beyond familiar faces and cultivate fresh talent under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav and newly appointed Head Coach Gautam Gambhir.
Srikkanth : “We might win the Asia Cup but forget the World Cup with this team”
However, former Indian captain and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth struck a more skeptical tone. While acknowledging the possibility of this team lifting the Asia Cup, Srikkanth raised serious doubts about their World Cup credentials.
“We might win the Asia Cup with this team, but there is no chance of winning the T20 World Cup with this bunch,” Srikkanth asserted on his YouTube channel.
“Are you going to take this team to the World Cup? Is this the preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is hardly six months away?”
Srikkanth didn’t hold back in criticizing the selection decisions either. He questioned the exclusion of Axar Patel from vice captaincy and raised eyebrows over the inclusion of Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana.
“They’ve gone backwards. Axar Patel has been axed from vice captaincy. I don’t know how Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana have come in. IPL is considered the main criterion for selection, but the selectors seem to have looked at performances before that.”
A Fork in the Road
As India prepares for a tournament that has historically carried prestige but now takes on a more strategic role, the stakes are high. Will the Asia Cup become a proving ground for India’s next gen stars or simply a box to tick before the World Cup lights shine again?
With the home crowd expected to rally hard in 2026, the pressure to strike the perfect balance between experience and youth is mounting. The decisions made now could define India’s World Cup fate.
One thing is clear there’s no shortage of passion, opinion, or expectation as Indian cricket steps into a bold, uncertain new chapter.
