India among the best teams in T20s, but Test cricket cannot be ignored: Kapil Dev

Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev believes that India are among the favourites to win the T20 World Cup 2026. The former India all-rounder says that the Indian team is undoubtedly among the best sides in the shortest format of the game. Like any other team, the Indian team will also have bad days; however, that is not something that Kapil Dev wants the side to focus on.

According to the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, cricket should be judged purely on the basis of how a team is faring in the red-ball format. He further believes that Tests and One-Day remain among the best benchmarks to decide the progress of a team, despite 20-over cricket providing thrills to the global audiences.

“I think there are two ways of looking at it. In T20 cricket, no doubt our team is one of the best — you can always have a bad day. But if you are talking about cricket, you have to talk about Test cricket. One-day cricket should also not be ignored. I understand that T20 is thrilling, but the base of the game is Test cricket, and we should be investing more time in it, along with one-day cricket as well,” Kapil said as quoted by Sportstar.

The Indians have been enjoying their time in the white-ball formats, but the same cannot be said for their current form in five-day cricket. They lost to South Africa 2-0 in the recent series and failed to win against an underpowered side on their tour of England, as the five-match series was drawn 2-2. This has affected the side badly, as they are currently placed sixth in the latest World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. 

On the other hand, their white-ball form has been simply exceptional, with Champions Trophy and Asia Cup titles in 2025. They also won the 2024 T20 World Cup and will be entering the 2026 edition as defending champions. Kapil’s comments make everyone wonder if the Indian team will be able to replicate the form from T20 cricket in Tests as well.