India was in top gear in the Asia Cup 2025 with an unbeaten run and a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 28. The triumph provided the Men in Blue with a hat-trick of victories over their big rivals in the event. Though the title triumph was overpowering, there are some issues India has to confront as they look to the 2026 T20 World Cup. Ranging from batting order to bowling in the death overs, there are still issues that require diligent attention. Positives From the Campaign Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy excelled with their bowling, being nearly unplayable during the tournament. Abhishek Sharma impressed everyone with the most consistent batting, displaying maturity in crunch situations. Tilak Varma also contributed with significant performances, providing India with depth in batting. All these positives aside, the issues that emerged during the competition cannot be overlooked. 5 Big Issues India Face Ahead of T20 World Cup 2026 Suryakumar Yadav's Worrying Form One of the major worries is the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav. In 12 T20Is in 2025, he has managed to score just 100 runs at 11.1 average and a strike rate of 105.26. He has not even hit a single half-century and had three ducks, which makes this his worst year since making debut. Though he had splendid run with the bat in IPL 2025, he was a long way from being fluent. His formerly assured scoring zones are not working for him now, and he is not able to cope with pace or spin. At 35, with an approach that is dependent on hand-eye, his current downturn may cost him dearly. India cannot do without a captain whose position in the team is in doubt ahead of a World Cup. Lack of a Second Specialist Pacer Another concern for India is bowling balance. During the Asia Cup, Jasprit Bumrah was the sole specialist pacer, assisted by Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. Even in the final, Hardik being not available, Rinku Singh was selected over a second fast bowler such as Arshdeep Singh. Coach Gautam Gambhir likes batting depth, but that makes the team light in the pace department. With Kuldeep and Varun not droppable, finding a place for another pacer is difficult. Therefore, Bumrah's application gets restricted, and death bowling turns out to be a week spot, particularly in high-scoring matches. Batting Order Confusion India's batting lineup still remains a point of contention. Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav are players best utilized in top-order positions. Even finishers Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel prefer batting against spin in middle overs. Constant reshuffling made matters worse in the Asia Cup. Tilak and Dube were inconsistent, while Samson failed to adapt to the middle order. The lack of defined roles has left the team vulnerable whenever openers fail to fire. Against Pakistan, the chase of 170-plus exposed how dependent India remain on strong starts. Fielding Concerns India's fielding too has dipped below par. They dropped 12 catches in the Asia Cup, for a catching efficiency of just 67.5 percent, second lowest of all the teams. Lost opportunities enabled opposition batsmen like Saif Hassan to score heavily, while Sri Lanka too won from errors. Varun Chakaravarthy, who was hit hardest by lost chances, confessed: "You can't make excuses at this level. As a unit, we certainly need to start holding onto those catches. But yes, if you're asking me about the ring of fire, it does eye-catchingly." Poor catching not only left bowlers down but also punctured confidence in tight situations. Death-Overs Problem India's death over bowling was also a weak link. Their economy rate more than 10 runs per over, the worst among the teams in the tournament. Deploying Bumrah for three powerplay overs exposed the end overs. Arshdeep Singh (10.37) and Harshit Rana (11.28) conceded freely, and India didn't have a plan B for the death overs. Going into the T20 World Cup, this is a serious problem that cannot be addressed through batting-heavy team choices alone. The Road Ahead India's unbeaten run in Asia Cup and third consecutive win over Pakistan to lift the title is a huge boost, but the larger target still lies ahead in the 2026 T20 World Cup. To succeed, India needs to: Achieve stability in the batting line-up. Improve death-overs bowling with a second specialist pacer. Improve fielding to reduce wasted opportunities. Back Suryakumar Yadav to regain form or look for the alternatives. Impressive win in the Asia Cup, but cracks are showing. Getting over these issues soon will determine whether India can convert continental success into global success.