Team India is soon going to conclude their five-match T20I series against South Africa, with the last match scheduled to take place on December 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Currently, Team India, under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, is leading the series with two victories against one loss and is looking forward to wrapping up the series with another win. This T20I series is a part of Team India's preparations before participating in the T20 World Cup in 2026. The T20 World Cup in 2026 is scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. Preparations for the World Cup After the series against South Africa, India has another T20 series match scheduled against New Zealand. These series are a good opportunity for the team to test their combinations before the major event. India kick-start the T20 World Cup as the defending champions, having won the trophy in the last version under the leadership of Rohit Sharma in 2024. But this time around, the leadership for this tournament belongs to Suryakumar Yadav, who has Shubman Gill as his vice-captain. When Will BCCI Announce India's Squad for T20 WC 2026? The BCCI will reveal India’s 15-man squad on Saturday, December 20, a day after the final match of the T20 international series against South Africa. BCCI’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, may conduct a press conference in Mumbai, although it has not yet been confirmed. As per ICC, all nations have to announce their initial squad list by January 8, but BCCI is set to announce it prior to that so that the players can prepare accordingly. Changes can only be made because of injury until one week prior to the tournament. Changes thereafter will require ICC approval. Also Read | Abandoned India South Africa T20I revives NCR’s age-old pollution nightmares Will There Be Big Changes in India's Squad? The selectors are expected to stick with the same group of players that is playing presently against South Africa and then headed to New Zealand. The World Cup is very close, and therefore there are no changes expected. However, there have been questions regarding the style of Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill. Since becoming T20 captain in July last year, Suryakumar has managed to score only two fifty+ scores. Gill has crossed the 30 only thrice since he rejoined the T20 international squad and has now been ruled out for the last match against South Africa. The selectors will hope that both can restore form before February. Likely Picks for T20 WC Squad Batting & All Rounders The players expected to retain their position in the playing XI are Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, and Jitesh Sharma. Sanju Samson's role is also unclear, given that he has been shifted from opening to the middle order once Gill is back. In the South African series, Jitesh Sharma has been given preference over others as the wicket-keeper in the playing XI. Bowling Unit Jasprit Bumrah will head the fast bowling attack. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana may form part of the fast bowling squad. Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are likely to be their primary spin bowling options, as they are carrying two spinners into this tournament.