Reacting to India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said, "Title defence loading. Superb squad." He added, "Great to see Rinku Singh back, and happy for my [brother] Sanju Samson, who will now rightfully open alongside Abhishek Sharma." Ashwin applauded Ishan Kishan's comeback, noting he "showed his hunger by grinding hard in the domestic circuit".