New Delhi

Fresh off their triumph in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the India national cricket team is already setting its sights on the next big target — winning gold when cricket returns to the Summer Olympics at 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

India secured their third T20 World Cup title after defeating the New Zealand national cricket team in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, capping a period of sustained dominance in global cricket.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav said the team is already thinking about the future, particularly the opportunity to win an Olympic gold when cricket returns to the Games after a gap of 128 years.

“Definitely the next goal is Olympics, Olympic gold and also the T20 World Cup that year,” Suryakumar said after the emphatic victory.

The current squad has an average age close to 30, meaning most players are expected to remain at their peak when the next T20 World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand in 2028.

Suryakumar, 35, said the team’s approach has evolved significantly since India ended its long ICC trophy drought with the 2024 T20 World Cup win in Barbados.

“We knew how we wanted to play going forward. Everything changed after 2024,” he said, referring to India’s run of success that also includes the ICC Champions Trophy title in 2025.

Senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya said he still has many years left in international cricket and hopes to add several more global trophies to India’s cabinet.

“I have still got 10 years left. Half of my career is over and half is left. I want to win at least 10 ICC trophies,” Pandya said.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, another senior member of the side, is also expected to play a key role if his workload is managed carefully in the coming years.

India’s current dominance follows the retirement of T20 stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from the format after the 2024 World Cup triumph.

The team management also made bold selection decisions ahead of the 2026 tournament, including dropping vice-captain Shubman Gill to accommodate Sanju Samson at the top of the order and bringing back Ishan Kishan into the squad.

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With those decisions paying off, the team now looks set to build on its winning momentum and extend its dominance through the next cycle of global tournaments.