Gautam’s gambit! India has a tailor-made team to win back-to-back T20 World Cups | Cricket News – The Times of India
NEW DELHI: In the last year, coach Gautam Gambhir has been under immense pressure after India lost two home Test series against New Zealand and South Africa. Without any doubt, he is under the pump when it comes to the game’s longest format. But when it comes to T20Is, credit where it is due, Gambhir has built a team that other sides have reason to fear.One can argue that Gambhir took over the reins with India already being world champions, but the Suryakumar Yadav-led team looks like a more well-oiled machine, with fewer holes, than Rohit Sharma’s side that ended India’s 11-year-long ICC title drought in 2024.
The trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20Is after the World Cup triumph. Rishabh Pant failed to improve his T20I game and is no longer in contention.Under Gambhir, India have reshaped their T20 blueprint.Abhishek Sharma still has a long way to go to match the greatness of Rohit Sharma. But since making his debut in Harare in 2024, the Amritsar mauler has set the world on fire. In 38 matches, Abhishek has scored two centuries and is striking close to 200, at 194.74. His explosive batting goes beyond numbers. It is the psychological impact he creates in the opposition dressing room that gives India a decisive edge.Since his debut, Abhishek has had two opening partners. He scored a duck on debut with his childhood friend Shubman Gill at the other end, before forging a dangerous partnership with Sanju Samson. After Gambhir took charge, Samson moved up the order and matched Abhishek with his own swashbuckling batting, scoring three hundreds in five matches.
Thiruvananthapuram: India’s Sanju Samson, left, and Abhishek Sharma arrive to bat (PTI Photo/R SenthilKumar)
Before the Asia Cup, fresh from his heroics as Test skipper in England, Gill was brought in as vice-captain. The Gill-Abhishek experiment lasted 15 games before the Test and ODI skipper was axed, citing combination issues. Sanju returned to the top but his poor outings against New Zealand, where he managed only 52 runs in five games, might force him to sit out for Ishan Kishan, who is in devastating form.Kishan entered the Indian team as a second-choice option and played only due to Tilak Varma’s absence. Now, with 215 runs in four matches, Sanju’s rough patch has given the Jharkhand captain a massive edge. With Varma, India’s Asia Cup hero and designated No. 3, back to full fitness, Abhishek could have his third opening partner on February 7 in the tournament opener against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium.The biggest concern for the Gambhir-coached side was captain Suryakumar Yadav’s form. In the 25 matches preceding the New Zealand series, he had managed only 244 runs at an average of 12.84 and a strike rate of 117.87. Against New Zealand, he was dismissed inside 20 balls just once. His strike rate against fuller deliveries from fast bowlers surged to 217.95. Surya struck three half-centuries, with a highest score of 82 not out, finished as the series’ leading run-getter, and amassed 242 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 196.74.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav after winning the T20 International cricket match series against New Zealand (PTI Photo/R SenthilKumar)
In Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, India have two six-hitting machines in the middle order. There was never any doubt over Hardik’s batting talent, but he has taken it a notch higher.Dube’s inclusion over Rinku Singh in the last T20 World Cup raised eyebrows, but he has reinvented himself and is arguably the most improved cricketer of the Gambhir era. R Ashwin has repeatedly said on his YouTube channel that Dube is a specialist at taking spinners to the cleaners. However, the burly all-rounder has also shown his hitting prowess against pacers. The 32-year-old had the second-best strike rate in the New Zealand series at 248.93, behind Abhishek Sharma’s 249.30. He also made useful contributions with the ball.Then there is Axar Patel, who often flies under the radar. Axar played a pivotal role in India’s triumph two years ago and will again be a key cog in Gambhir’s gambit. In Rinku, India have a specialist finisher who made it to the World Cup squad only after the selectors decided to shelve the Shubman Gill experiment. He, too, proved his worth with the bat in the New Zealand series.If the batters send shivers through opposition camps, India’s bowling unit looks even more menacing. In Arshdeep, Bumrah and Hardik, India have three bowlers with 100 T20I wickets each. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are closing in, with 94 and 86 scalps, respectively.
India’s Varun Chakravarthy (PTI Photo/Shiva Sharma)
Then there is the X-factor Varun Chakravarthy. The 34-year-old has picked up 57 wickets between the last two World Cups at an economy rate of 7.42 and strikes every 11.2 balls. This is not Varun’s first World Cup, but after a largely forgettable outing in 2021, he will have a point to prove.Never before has a T20 World Cup had such overwhelming favourites, nor a side so well equipped to rewrite history. India have the luxury of unmatched depth and adaptability. This squad is a refined version of the team that won two years ago.ALSO READ: Rashid Latif on Pakistan boycotting India match: ‘In 24 hours, anything is possible’Gambhir’s men just run in, hurl the ball, swing the bat, and harass the opposition with smiles on their faces. If the T20 World Cup is waiting for a team to defy its own history, Gautam Gambhir’s India appear ready to be that exception.