The Indian team has completed the group stage of the T20 World Cup and is now gearing up for a tougher test in the Super 8s. The defending champion will face stronger opponents in the next stage, including 2024 runners-up South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe. India have swept all challenges so far in the first round, underlining their status as title holders. While speaking on Ash Ki Baat, Ravichandran Ashwin Praising the team’s consistency but admitting the performance against the Netherlands was not flawless. He pointed out Suryakumar Yadav Carefully anchoring each innings, and Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya And Rinku Singh increased his scoring rate at the right times. Ashwin emphasized that even when India are not at their strongest, their overall strength makes them difficult to beat.
“Surya played very hard. For the acceleration points, Dube, Hardik and Linku were there. They knew they could chase down the scoring rate. But India’s performance with the bat today (against Netherlands) was not very good and the efficiency was not very high. But it is such a solid team that even on a normal day, they can shut you out. They are below par and not at their best. But, Varun Chakravarthy Chakaravarthy bowled so well that the Netherlands could not select him. Jasprit Bumrah He has performed well in the Powerplay and also played for York,” he said on Ash ki Baat. Ashwin also discussed Tilak Varma’s approach in the shortest form, especially when he resumes training after injury. He emphasized that T20 success does not always depend on brute force and highlighted the value of timing and placement. “Tilak Varma is back from injury. We talk about strength and power, but sweet spot and timing are the basic essence of batting. Tilak was not a power hitter. For him, timing and finding the sweet spot are all that matters. Remember, you can play like Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi) but you can also play like Tilak, who relies on timing and finding gaps,” Ashwin said. Elsewhere, Pakistan’s victory over Namibia confirmed Super Eight qualification, joining India in Group A. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe advance from Group B, West Indies and England advance from Group C, while South Africa and New Zealand advance from Group D in the 20-team tournament. With Australia and New Zealand confirmed as co-hosts for the 2028 tournament, all Super Eight teams (including New Zealand and Australia) have now qualified for the tournament.
