Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth believes the key to India’s success at the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup lies not in defensive bowling, but in belief, intent, and attacking for wickets, especially in the powerplay. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing World Legends Pro T20 League, Sreesanth praised the competitiveness of the tournament, calling it “the best legends tournament I’ve played till now”, before turning his attention to India’s current white-ball setup.&nbsp;With flat pitches, 200-plus scores becoming routine, and the impact player rule altering T20 dynamics, Sreesanth feels fast bowlers must resist the temptation to merely restrict runs. “My request to the entire fast bowlers will be, go for wickets upfront. You should get wickets if you can. You want to have a belief system.” Addressing whether modern Indian pacers have become too defensive, Sreesanth pointed to the leadership group, particularly head coach Gautam Gambhir, but stressed personal conviction over passive execution.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ao-2026-and-then-him-cramping-zverev-shares-biggest-regret-from-loss-vs-alcaraz-1769778734295">AO 2026 | 'And then him cramping': Zverev shares biggest regret from loss vs Alcaraz</a>&nbsp;“Gautam Gambhir is the coach, so he must have some plans. Hear the coach, but listen to your heart.” Sreesanth emphasised that India today boasts enviable fast-bowling depth, across what he described as “team A, team B, team C”, and urged bowlers to trust their skills rather than bowl with hope. “People always end up hoping for the best. Hope is begging. If you believe in your ability, things change.”&nbsp;On Jasprit Bumrah, Sreesanth was unequivocal. He called Bumrah’s fitness vital not just for India, but for world cricket itself. “It is very important, not just for Bumrah, but for the entire cricket fraternity and fans across the globe.” Calling Bumrah one of India’s greatest-ever white-ball bowlers, Sreesanth said the World Cup should belong to India this time. “The World Cup should be in our hands. I keep my fingers crossed for Bumrah. If not the best, he is among the best India has ever seen.” While Bumrah remains central, Sreesanth also sees the tournament as a platform for other pacers to rise, reinforcing his belief that India’s fast-bowling future is secure, provided it is fearless.

Former India pacer says India’s pacers must attack for wickets, trust their instincts, and keep Bumrah fit to give India the edge at the upcoming T20 World Cup

Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth believes the key to India’s success at the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup lies not in defensive bowling, but in belief, intent, and attacking for wickets, especially in the powerplay. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing World Legends Pro T20 League, Sreesanth praised the competitiveness of the tournament, calling it “the best legends tournament I’ve played till now”, before turning his attention to India’s current white-ball setup. With flat pitches, 200-plus scores becoming routine, and the impact player rule altering T20 dynamics, Sreesanth feels fast bowlers must resist the temptation to merely restrict runs. “My request to the entire fast bowlers will be, go for wickets upfront. You should get wickets if you can. You want to have a belief system.” Addressing whether modern Indian pacers have become too defensive, Sreesanth pointed to the leadership group, particularly head coach Gautam Gambhir, but stressed personal conviction over passive execution. Also Read: AO 2026 | 'And then him cramping': Zverev shares biggest regret from loss vs Alcaraz “Gautam Gambhir is the coach, so he must have some plans. Hear the coach, but listen to your heart.” Sreesanth emphasised that India today boasts enviable fast-bowling depth, across what he described as “team A, team B, team C”, and urged bowlers to trust their skills rather than bowl with hope. “People always end up hoping for the best. Hope is begging. If you believe in your ability, things change.” On Jasprit Bumrah, Sreesanth was unequivocal. He called Bumrah’s fitness vital not just for India, but for world cricket itself. “It is very important, not just for Bumrah, but for the entire cricket fraternity and fans across the globe.” Calling Bumrah one of India’s greatest-ever white-ball bowlers, Sreesanth said the World Cup should belong to India this time. “The World Cup should be in our hands. I keep my fingers crossed for Bumrah. If not the best, he is among the best India has ever seen.” While Bumrah remains central, Sreesanth also sees the tournament as a platform for other pacers to rise, reinforcing his belief that India’s fast-bowling future is secure, provided it is fearless.

Former India pacer says India’s pacers must attack for wickets, trust their instincts, and keep Bumrah fit to give India the edge at the upcoming T20 World Cup

'Hear to coach, but...', 2007 T20 World Cup winning bowler's advice Indian pacers

The inevitable has happened. For the very first time, the Italy national cricket team will take part in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The Italian team qualified for their first-ever Cricket World Cup on Friday (July 11). Italy, though they lost their ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025 match to the Netherlands by 9 wickets at The Hague on Friday (July 11), secured a top-two finish, and thus they will be heading to India next year to compete in the 2026 edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be hosted across venues in India and Sri Lanka in February and March next year.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/-my-mom-was-crying-when-i-fell-in-the-first-round-recalls-neeraj-chopra-after-successfully-hosting-nc-classic-2025-1752245618212">'My mom was crying when I fell in the first round', recalls Neeraj Chopra after successfully hosting NC Classic 2025</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒛𝒛𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒊 🤩 Italy will make their first-ever appearance in the ICC Men&#39;s T20 World Cup 🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/sqN3ICFVfH">pic.twitter.com/sqN3ICFVfH</a>&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1943714500248580151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Italian team, following their phenomenal performance in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, in which they defeated Scotland by 12 runs on July 9, would want to perform well at the shortest format mega-event next year. Italy and the Netherlands' qualification for T20 World Cup 2026 on Friday also came at the expense of a heartbreak for Jersey. The Jersey men's cricket team also ended the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025 with five points from four games but ended third behind Italy because they had a poor net run rate.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/families-are-important-but-not-a-holiday-india-coach-gautam-gambhir-backs-bcci-rule-that-once-irked-kohli-rohit-1752227522339">‘Families are important…but it’s not a holiday,’ Gambhir backs BCCI rule that once irked Kohli, Rohit</a>&nbsp;Had Italy beaten the Netherlands in the final match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025 at Sportpark Westvliet in The Hague on Friday, Jersey would have been second in the points table and have qualified for the T20 World Cup 2026.

In a historic first Italy qualifies for ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2026

The inevitable has happened. For the very first time, the Italy national cricket team will take part in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The Italian team qualified for their first-ever Cricket World Cup on Friday (July 11). Italy, though they lost their ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025 match to the Netherlands by 9 wickets at The Hague on Friday (July 11), secured a top-two finish, and thus they will be heading to India next year to compete in the 2026 edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be hosted across venues in India and Sri Lanka in February and March next year. Also Read: 'My mom was crying when I fell in the first round', recalls Neeraj Chopra after successfully hosting NC Classic 2025

Italy finished second in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025

In a historic first, Italy qualifies for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026

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'Hear to coach, but...', 2007 T20 World Cup winning bowler's advice Indian pacers

In a historic first, Italy qualifies for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026