Two days ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar has made a heartfelt promise. The 76-year-old said he will dance with joy if India manage to defend their title at home.

The showpiece tournament, featuring 20 teams, will be played across five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

India haven’t lost a T20I series under Suryakumar Yadav-Gautam Gambhir regime, boasting an impressive win-loss record of 33-5. Hence, the Men in Blue will enter the marquee event as a formidable contender to lift the coveted trophy for the second successive and record third time.

“When you lift the trophy and receive it, I will start dancing. Dancing is my cardio. Everyone else does intense cardio, but I can’t do that at my age. So I do a little bit of cardio, and that’s dancing. There’s so much joy in seeing your captain and your country’s flag going up. Sometimes emotions just come out,” Gavaskar said during a discussion on India Today’s Salaam Cricket.

“You just do your job, win the trophy, and I’ll take care of the rest,” the former cricketer-turned-commentator added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sunil Gavaskar had made a similar promise during the Women’s World Cup in India last year.

Before the World Cup final, Gavaskar had vowed that he would sing alongside Jemimah Rodrigues on guitar if India lift the coveted title.

After the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side emerged victorious, Gavaskar honoured his word on the eve of the Women’s Premier League 2026. In a heartwarming moment shared on social media, Jemimah and Gavaskar met, with the latter presenting the former a gift bag and a custom guitar shaped like a bat. The duo then sang together, with Jemimah strumming the guitar.

Team India will begin their T20 World Cup title defence on February 7 against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium. They have been drawn in Group A along with the USA, Pakistan, the Netherlands and Namibia.