India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav said that he wants to play against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026 final which is set to be held in Ahmedabad or Colombo. If it ends up happening in Ahmedabad and India qualify for the final, they’ll be playing in the same venue which has taken in place in modern lore as the stadium where India’s collective hearts were broken by Australia in the 2023 World Cup final.
When asked which team he would like to face in a hypothetical final clash in next year’s T20 World Cup, Suryakumar did not take long to reply, “Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Australia.” He was seconded by India Women’s skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, whose team also had beaten Australia in the semifinal of the recent World Cup en route to their title win. “Australia is the only team whom we want to beat because that’s the game which stays with you,” she said during the event to announce the schedule and venues for the T20 World Cup.
Surya was part of Rohit Sharma’s squad which went 10 games unbeaten in the T20 World Cup before losing to Australia in the final hurdle. That defeat in Ahmedabad on November 19 still haunts the fans as well as the players even after winning countless silverwares.
Defending champions India were named in Group A for the 2026 T20 World Cup along with Pakistan, USA, Netherlands and Namibia while Australia were placed in Group B along with Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman.
India have beaten Australia in two games since that final on November 19 in 2023, but the wish to beat them in a summit clash remains in the minds of the players who have, since then, won two ICC tournaments.
India beat Australia by 24 runs in the Super Eight match of the last T20 World Cup, and they also handed them a four-wicket defeat in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy this year.
