Former India spinner R Ashwin has revealed the names of two star Indian players who will be part of the opposition team’s strategy apart from Jasprit Bumrah, when the T20 World Cup 2026 begins in India and Sri Lanka.

This comes after India secured a 2-1 lead against Australia in the five-match T20I series, with the last match to be played in Brisbane on November 8. India defeated Australia by 48 runs in Queensland in the fourth T20I.

The Indian team has dominated the T20I format like no other team since their 2024 T20 World Cup win. Under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, the Indian team has been near unbeatable and recently won the Asia Cup T20 trophy unbeaten.

With this domination in consideration, Former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has named opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakaravarthy as crucial targets for opposition sides in the 2026 T20 World Cup.

"So far, I was saying that handling Jasprit Bumrah is critical, but I would now say, from what I have seen, Tim David handled Varun Chakaravarthy. I am thinking teams will go for Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakaravarthy if they have to get past India. Against Abhishek Sharma, we will definitely see in this series the plan that is made, and they will definitely invite that. Whatever teams are coming, they will come prepared for the World Cup. Similarly, against Varun Chakaravarthy, because that will give them leverage in that T20 World Cup,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The Australian bowling strategy against Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay overs proved effective, limiting him to 29 runs off 23 balls, with most runs coming in the sixth over.

"Abhishek Sharma has been one of the deadliest batters against fast bowlers inside the powerplay, against any bowler. Australian bowlers to Abhishek Sharma, in the powerplay itself, he made 29 off 23, of which a sixth over went for a lot. Before that, Abhishek Sharma was going at less than a run a ball. See, they had a plan to slightly reduce bat swing," Ashwin observed.

"You will notice that Nathan Ellis hasn't bowled any balls within the stumps to Abhishek Sharma. They have gone wide outside the off stump, and they also went a bit pace off to make sure that a swinging arc is curtailed.

So, against Abhishek Sharma, he is not weak on the off side; he hits very strongly there. But they are limiting hitting areas by bowling slightly wider and also taking the pace off so that it can come a bit straighter. I thought they bowled really well," Ashwin explained.

In the current World Cup cycle, Abhishek Sharma tops India's batting statistics with 989 runs, while Varun Chakaravarthy leads wicket-taking with 43 wickets in 22 matches.

The series continues, with both teams formulating plans for the forthcoming matches, with a special emphasis on these crucial players who could impact the outcome of the T20 World Cup.