Sourav Ganguly picks India as T20 World Cup favourites, says, 'They have a strong...'
Home SportsSourav Ganguly picks India as T20 World Cup favourites, says, They have a strong... Sourav Ganguly picks India as T20 World Cup favourites, says, ‘They have a strong…’
Sourav Ganguly on Saturday backed India's spin attack which could play a crucial role to defend their T20 World Cup title.
Published: January 12, 2026 12:48 PM IST
By Sruti Thakur
| Edited by Sruti Thakur
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Sourav Ganguly picks India as T20 World Cup favourites
New Delhi: India cricket legend Sourav Ganguly on Saturday backed India’s spinners to be decisive in the team’s bid to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title, placing special emphasis on Varun Chakravarthy’s role.
India’s 15-member squad consists of a strong spin attack for the upcoming ICC Tournament, naming Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the squad for the tournament, which is scheduled to start on February 7.
“Yeah, nothing (home WC) gets bigger than that, and India is always my favourite verein. They have a strong spin attack and if Chakravarthy is fit then it’s excellent for India,” Ganguly said in an interaction with a select media gathering.
Sourav Ganguly on taking head coach’s role for the first time
Former India captain, opened up about taking on a head coach’s role for the first time in his career, “First time ever in my life, head coach. But I am enjoying it. Actually, I am very close to (Delhi Capitals co-owner) Parth (Jindal), so he asked me to do this, so I did it.
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“I am also learning. I may have played any amount of matches, captained any amount of matches, but this is different. I am coaching and I am doing this to learn and understand,” added Ganguly.
The Pretoria Capitals secured a convincing 21-runs victory over Boland Park on Saturday and jumped to the third position on the table.
It marked Pretoria Capitals second consecutive success, leaving Ganguly visibly pleased. He remarked, “When you play any substantial tournament, whether it’s a World Cup, IPL or SA20, the back-end gets very tight and competitive and that’s where you need to be at your best. It’s a very vital point.
“You know these sort of wins when you defend one side, it actually gives you a lot of confidence. Hopefully we will continue to do that. But in sport, every day is a novel day. So we’ll pick ourselves up and start fresh the day after tomorrow,” he detailed.
Ganguly on starting his coaching career in South Africa
Ganguly also expressed his excitement about starting his coaching career in South Africa, “This has been a great place for us. I have come so many times here, the World Cup finals, in 2003. We lost, but we were exceptional in the tournament. South Africa is a place for cricket. You can see how good the tournament is.
“The stands are full, even on a weekday, people come and watch. Whether it’s Cape Town, whether it’s Pretoria, whether it’s Paarl because it’s a cricketing country, it’s been a great tournament,” he stated.
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Sruti Thakur
Sruti Thakur is a trainee sports journalist at india.com with a specialization in Broadcast Journalism. She has previously worked with a couple of startup channels as a sports content writing intern, ... Read More
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ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026Axar PatelDelhi CapitalsICC Men's T20I World CupICC Men's T20I World Cup 2026IPL 2026Kuldeep YadavPretoria CapitalsSA20Sourav GangulyVarun Charavarthywashington sundar
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