Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Men in Blue headed into the T20 World Cup 2026 slightly underprepared. He pointed out that Suryakumar Yadav and company were preparing to post mammoth totals, which are rarely scored in such global events.

Although India won all four of their Group A games in the T20 World Cup 2026, they were found slightly wanting in the batting department in every match. The co-hosts then suffered a 76-run loss against South Africa in their first Super Eight stage Group 1 game in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the cricketer-turned-commentator wondered whether India’s preparation heading into the T20 World Cup 2026 was ideal.

“Did the Indian team come into this tournament slightly underprepared? Why did I say India weren’t prepared? You are thinking that we came prepared, we didn’t lose even one series, and lost four or five T20Is in total in such a long time. I am saying you weren’t prepared because the kind of cricket you were thinking you would play continuously or would be able to play, that doesn’t happen in the World Cup at all,” Chopra said.

“This is the 10th edition of the World Cup, and if we see the matches between top Test teams, a 200-plus total has been scored only 15 times. 200 runs have never been scored in a semi-final or final to date. So we were doing a different preparation. We were saying we would score 250-275, but that kind of cricket doesn’t happen in the World Cup,” he added.

Aakash Chopra highlighted that a six has been hit off every 25 balls in the last four editions of the T20 World Cup, unlike in the Indian Premier League, where a six is hit in virtually every two overs. To conclude, the analyst reckoned that India came into the T20 World Cup 2026 either underprepared or not fully prepared for the challenge.

“I was reminded of Virat Kohli” – Aakash Chopra after India’s loss in IND vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 clash

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that he was reminded of Virat Kohli after India’s T20 World Cup 2026 loss against South Africa.

“I was reminded of Virat Kohli, who used to come and win games, and that thing was realized a little more after the South Africa match. Of course, we have not chased that big a total to date. So I am not saying we would have chased had Kohli been there,” he said.

The former India opener added that the modern batting great’s absence was felt slightly as he would have taken the team deeper.

“However, Kohli’s truth is that he was unbeaten in the three biggest totals we have chased in T20 World Cup history. So he was that anchor who would actually take the team home. I mean slightly faster than an anchor, but you need somebody who can do a job like that and take the game deep. His absence is felt slightly,” Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Indian selectors even picked Shubman Gill to play a role like Virat Kohli, but moved away from the idea just before the T20 World Cup 2026. He added that the defending champions haven’t yet batted the entire 20 overs the way they should, highlighting that they have lost four wickets by around the 12th over in virtually every game and are then forced to consolidate, reconstruct, or escape.