‘India our second home,’ Afghanistan targeting bigger goals at T20 World Cup: Gulbadin Naib

All-rounder Gulbadin Naib says Afghanistan are embracing expectations rather than feeling burdened by them as they prepare for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India — a country he describes as the team’s “second home”.

Afghanistan made a breakthrough at the 2024 T20 World Cup by stunning Australia to reach the semi-finals, before South Africa—eventual runners-up—ended their campaign with a nine-wicket win after bowling them out for just 56. Having already tasted a last-four finish, Naib believes the next step is to push harder and aim higher.

“There’s nothing like pressure,” Naib told India Today during an interaction arranged by Dubai Capitals while he was featuring in the ILT20. “T20 cricket is about preparation and how you play on the day. If we can push ourselves just 10 per cent more than the last World Cup, it could make a huge difference.”

Naib said playing in India will work in Afghanistan’s favour, given the team’s long association with the country and the widespread presence of Afghan players in global leagues, particularly the IPL.

“With the World Cup in India, it feels like home — our second home,” he said. “We’ve played in Dehradun, Lucknow, and many of our players have a lot of IPL experience. Almost every team has Afghan players now. So conditions won’t be too challenging for us. T20 cricket suits Afghanistan.”

Building towards 2026

Afghanistan’s recent T20 results have been mixed. They missed out on the final of a UAE tri-series that also featured Pakistan and exited the Asia Cup in the opening round after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, they responded with a 3–0 series sweep of Zimbabwe and a one-off T20I win over Qatar in Doha.

Naib, a veteran of 78 T20Is and 89 ODIs since debuting in 2011, said those ups and downs were part of a planned transition, with the management focused on preparing a deeper squad for the World Cup. “When you bring in new faces and give young players opportunities, results can fluctuate,” he said. “The focus wasn’t the Asia Cup or the tri-series — it was about building for the T20 World Cup.”

He added that players such as Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Abdullah Ahmadzai and fast bowler Bashir Ahmad were introduced with that long-term vision in mind.

Afghanistan have been placed in Group D alongside New Zealand, South Africa, the UAE and Canada. They will open their campaign against New Zealand on February 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.