Robin Uthappa and Anil Kumble opened up on India’s potential future given the talent pool they have. The former Indian cricketers spoke about players like Sai Sudharsan, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and claimed them to be the country’s future in the sport.
Uthappa spoke about Sai Sudharsan and noted how the youngster went from being retired out in the IPL 2024 to becoming the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2025 just by changing his shot selection. He noted that Sudharsan’s strike rate went from 130s to 170s and regarded him as an all-format player alongside Gill and Jaiswal.
“Sai Sudharsan’s rise has been incredible. Just last season, he was retired out for not scoring quickly. This year, without changing his technique, he’s added smart shot selection and taken his strike rate from 130 to 170. Now he’s the Orange Cap holder. That’s mighty impressive. I genuinely believe he’s one of India’s future three-format players, right up there with Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal,” said Uthappa on JioHotstar.
‘The challenge is picking the best 15’ – Anil Kumble on India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad
With just a few months left for the T20 World Cup 2026 to start, the focus shifted towards the options India have. Anil Kumble claimed that India’s challenge would be to pick the best players among a plethora of good talents they currently have.
Kumble noted that the current Indian pool has great players who could be pushed further by Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran, and Suryavanshi. The former India coach felt fitness would be key for players and hoped to see the best players being 100% fit before the major tournaments. Notably, Arya and Prabhsimran had a breakthrough season in the IPL 2025.
“We’ve got players like Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi pushing for spots. Then you have established names like Gill, Sudharsan, Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson. The challenge is picking the best 15. Fitness will be key — you want everyone at 100% going into a tournament like this,” Kumble said to the same channel.
