India, Jan. 21 -- The T20 World Cup 2026 is only a stone's throw away, and while India would be heading into the tournament as the absolute favourites, team combinations tend to give the management - head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav some real headaches. While some names will automatically pick themselves - such as Hardik Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, the remaining seven will depend on conditions and opponents.

Among them is Sanju Samson. Until a few months ago, Samson was a regular, the team's opener alongside Abhishek. However, the return of Shubman Gill in the Asia Cup pushed him down the order and even out of the Playing XI for a game. Gill isn't part of the squad anymore, but Ishan ...