The ICC ODI World Cup 2026 schedule was announced on October 2, 2026, in South Africa, in the presence of some of the sport’s biggest former cricketers. The ICC World Cup 2026 will be played from October 7 to November 21 and will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
India is in Group A with Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe, and will open their tournament against Australia on October 7, then clash with Pakistan on October 10. India’s third match will be against Afghanistan on October 14 in Tshwane, followed by Qualifier A in Bloemfontein on October 17. India’s last clash will be against Zimbabwe on October 24 in Victoria Falls.
As India continues their road to the ICC World Cup 2027, today we will see the predicted best squad for the Men in Blue for the mega event.
Here is the predicted strongest squad for India in the ODI World Cup 2027:
India is likely to field their strongest squad for the event, led by Shubman Gill as captain and KL Rahul as vice-captain and first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. India will need a strong batting unit, and it is likely to include Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Ishan Kishan.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to be included as a backup opener, or Ruturaj Gaikwad might be looked at, as he can bat as both an opener and in the middle order.
Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and KL Rahul are likely to be the middle-order options. Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana are likely to be picked as pace bowling all-rounders.
On the other hand, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, or one of them, are sure to go in as the spin all-rounder. This is because head coach Gautam Gambhir loves all-rounders and prefers batting depth to more bowling options.
Expect Kuldeep Yadav to be the lone specialist spinner in the Indian squad, as South African pitches are more suitable for pace bowlers.
Coming to pace bowlers, India is sure to get Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and one of Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar as their main speedsters. Arshdeep Singh may also be considered due to his left-arm angle.
Predicted India’s strongest squad for the ODI World Cup 2027:
Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul (VC/WK), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy/Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar/Gurnoor Brar/ Prasidh Krishna
