"Not very happy about it" - Aakash Chopra disappointed over Team India's group fixtures for T20 World Cup 2026

Former opener Aakash Chopra has expressed disappointment over the fact that India and Pakistan are the only two-Test playing nations in Group A for T20 World Cup 2026. According to Chopra, since 12 Test-playing nations are taking part in the ICC event, all four groups should have featured three Test teams each.

The schedule for T20 World Cup 2026 was revealed on Tuesday, November 25. India and Pakistan have again been placed in the same group along with Namibia, Netherlands and USA. The much-awaited India vs Pakistan clash with take place in Colombo on February 15.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the four groups could have been split in the better manner to try to make the tournament more competitive. The former India cricketer explained:

"India-Pakistan are together again in the group stage. There are 12 Test-playing nations and all of them have qualified. Ideally, there should be three in each group. That's not the case. India and Pakistan are the only Test-playing nations in their group. So, there is one group, which has four Test-playing nations.

"Personally, I'm not very happy about it. In the World Cup, you want all the matches to have a context. India-USA, India-Namibia, India-Netherlands - it will take some time for you to get excited. And, in the initial few days, there are triple headers. It's going to be a really tight tournament in the first couple of weeks," the 48-year-old went on to add.

India will kick off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a match against United States at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. They will face Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on February 12 and Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 18.

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"At least, one good team will go out from Group D" - Chopra on the tough groups in T20 World Cup 2026

Looking at the other groups for T20 World Cup 2026, Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman are in Group B; England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal and Italy are in Group C; while South Africa, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Canada and UAE are in Group D. Chopra feels that there could be tough competition among the Test-playing nations in Group D. He commented:

"Group C has England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy. So, out of the first three teams, at least one will go out. It is tough. But after that, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and South Africa. At least, one good team will go out from Group D because all three teams are strong."

T20 World Cup 2026 will kick off with a match between Pakistan and Netherlands in Colombo on February 7. On the same day, West Indies will face Bangladesh in Kolkata, while India will take on United States in Mumbai.