Rohit Sharma Leads Opening Ceremony, Walks In With T20 World Cup 2026 Trophy At Wankhede Stadium

T20 World Cup 2026: Tournament Ambassador Rohit Sharma stole the spotlight during the opening ceremony of the T20 World Cup 2026 as he walked into the iconic Wankhede Stadium carrying the prestigious ICC trophy.

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Rohit Sharma, Jay Shah Walk in Field With T20 World Cup Trophy At Wankhede

Former India captain Rohit Sharma was joined by ICC Chairperson Jay Shah, and together they entered the field with the T20 World Cup trophy.

Months before the start of the T20 World Cup 2026, Rohit Sharma was announced as the tournament ambassador.

It was under Rohit Sharma’s leadership that India won the T20 World Cup title in the 2024 edition in Barbados. The Men in Blue clinched a narrow seven-run victory over South Africa to secure the T20 World Cup crown for the second time.

Rohit Sharma Reflects On Winning T20 World Cup In 2024

The former India captain said that it was a ‘wonderful experience’ for his team to win the T20 World Cup 2024.

"We had a lot of memories. Of course, when we lifted the trophy, that was the best memory. But the entire journey that we had from day one till the last day of the tournament was itself a memory for us, something that we can always cherish. We worked really, really hard for that trophy. And from day one, since the day we arrived in the US and the day we left Barbados, everything was memorable for us. It was a wonderful experience. Look, something that I never expected so early in my career, to be an ICC ambassador," Rohit Sharma said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"You know, it’s a big honour. Holding the trophy back again and putting it back in play feels great. Lifting the trophy was a wonderful feeling, but again, to put it back into play and look at these boys going and working hard for that trophy again will be an interesting thing, which I’m pretty sure everyone’s looking forward to. We want to see some really good cricket being played in this tournament, which is what ICC brings. It brings the best of cricket on display. Every team who are playing, they bring the best cricket out there, and it’ll be entertaining for all the spectators to watch," he added.

Monank Patel-led United States of America (USA) won the toss and opted to bowl against Suryakumar Yadav's India in the third match of the T20 World Cup 2026, on Saturday, February 7.

United States of America Playing XI: Andries Gous (Wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (C), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar.

India Playing XI: Ishan Kishan (Wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy.