"Were Below Par": R Ashwin's On India Ahead Of T20 World Cup Super 8 But There's A Silver Lining

India's T20 World Cup group-stage matches are over, and now the Super 8 test awaits them. The competition will be far more intense for India in the next stage against the likes of 2024 runners-up South Africa, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe. India have stayed true to their reputation as defending champions, dismantling their rivals so far. Ravichandran Ashwin is impressed with India's overall show but added that even when they were below par, they still managed to get the desired results.

"Surya played a very diligent knock. For the acceleration point, Dube, Hardik, and Rinku were there. They knew they could catch up on the scoring rate. But India weren't extremely good today (vs Netherlands) with the bat, not extremely efficient. But it is such a solid team that even on their ordinary day, they can put you away. They were below par, not at their best. But still, with Varun Chakaravarthy bowling so well, the Netherlands could not pick him. Jasprit Bumrah got swing in the Powerplay and bowled yorkers too," he said on Ash ki Baat.

Ashwin highlighted Tilak Varma's style of play in the T20 format, mentioning how it is not always necessary to go for the big shots in T20 cricket.

"Tilak Varma is coming back after an injury. We talk about power and strength, but sweet spot and timing are the basic essence of batting. Tilak is not a big power hitter. For him, timing and finding the sweet spot are most important. Please remember, you can play like Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi), but you can also play like Tilak, who relies on timing and picks the gaps," Ashwin said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's victory over Namibia on Wednesday completed the Super Eights lineup, with the former champions advancing from Group A alongside India. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe (Group B), the West Indies and England (Group C), and South Africa and New Zealand (Group D) have also progressed to the second stage of the 20-team competition.

As co-hosts of the 2028 event, Australia and New Zealand were granted automatic qualification. In accordance with the qualification criteria, all Super Eights teams-including New Zealand, along with Australia-now have their places confirmed for the 2028 tournament.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 Ravichandran Ashwin Cricket