'Not at our target': Gautam Gambhir makes shocking claims ahead of ICC T20I World Cup 2026

After clinching the T20I series against Australia, Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir is awaiting to be tested for the upcoming ICC tournament, which is the T20I World Cup. Recently, Gambhir said that he believes the team still has work to do to reach their target for the T20 World Cup and wants players to priortise fitness. The ICC T20I World Cup is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka, commencing in February.

''Our dressing room has been very transparent and honest, and we aim to maintain that. I think we're still not at our target for the T20 World Cup. Hopefully, the players understand the importance of being fit. We have three months left to reach where we need to be,'' Gambhir said in a video shared by BCCI on social media.

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Gambhir also outlined testing players under pressure to bring out their best performances. He elaborated on Shubman Gill's appointment as Test captain as an example. ''Throw players into the deep end, it's as simple as that. We did the same with Shubman Gill when he was named Test captain,'' he added.

Meanwhile, Team India will be having a couple of other challenges before the ICC T20I World Cup 2026. The first will be Test, ODI and T20I series with South Africa on home soil, starting November 14. The next one will be against New Zealand, again on home soil, which will be a perfect chance to test fitness and performances of plethora of players.