The 2026 T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka. Australia have been placed in Group B for the preliminary stages, alongside Sri Lanka, Ireland, Oman and Zimbabwe, and will start their campaign against Ireland in Colombo on February 11.
“I have also read the news from Hazlewood that he may also be unavailable for most of the tournament. If that is true, whether it is Ben Dwarshuis or Sean Abbott or anyone else you keep, with all due respect, they are not of the same quality,” Chopra said on the YouTube channel.
“Then Australia will be stuck. Then they might not make it to the semi-finals because the group they are going to, Australia, India, South Africa and West Indies, is not an easy group. To go from that group to the semi-finals and then the final is somewhat difficult,” he added.
Chopra noted that Australia would be significantly weakened if Josh Hazlewood is ruled out of the T20 World Cup. While Mitchell Starc has withdrawn from the T20Is, Pat Cummins has been sidelined from the big event due to a back injury. Sean Abbott has been named as a traveling reserve in the Australian squad as Hazlewood continues to recover from an Achilles injury.
“If Josh Hazlewood also misses, along with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, aapne dil, dhadkan, jaan, sab kuch nikaal liya (you have removed the heart, the pulse, the life and everything). Then this team will become weak. Then they will struggle. There is a big chance,” Chopra said.
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