The ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, according to India cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, could be viewed as an early warm-up because India is not taking anything lightly and is working hard to defend its T20 World Cup crown.
With a thrilling eight-wicket victory in Guwahati on Sunday, the hosts grabbed an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, and Gavaskar highlighted India’s depth.
“This series is like an appetizer; the main course begins from the 7th of February. Having won the series, the focus now is on defending the World Cup title. These players are preparing thoroughly. Some of them haven’t even had the chance to bat, so they are working on range-hitting, timing, rhythm, bat flow and pick-up. It shows the focus of this team; they are not taking the World Cup lightly and not taking anything for granted,” PTI quoted Gavaskar as saying on JioHoststar show.
Gavaskar claimed that even in the absence of lower order contributions, India has been winning games with ease, demonstrating its depth and confidence.
“India has complete confidence in themselves. When you have players like Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya batting down the order, and they haven’t even needed to bat in two matches, and India is still winning comfortably, it tells you the kind of calibre this team has,” he said.
The 76-year-old went on to say that the shortest format was ideal for the current batting approach.
“In a 20-over game, if a batter tells himself that he has five or seven overs, he can look to score off almost every ball. It doesn’t always have to be a boundary or a six, it could be a couple of runs, but the idea is to make every ball count. That belief is clearly visible. Even if there is a small stumble, this team knows it can recover, regroup, and continue marching towards victory.”
Gavaskar also commended Abhishek Sharma for his spectacular half-century in Guwahati, which came off just 14 deliveries and is currently the second-fastest by an Indian in Twenty20 International cricket, with comparisons to Yuvraj Singh.
“I think that kind of a record is very, very hard to beat. Getting to a fifty in just two overs is extremely tough. But what Abhishek Sharma has shown over the last several matches is that he is capable of doing that. He has scored a fifty in 14 deliveries in this match and in 16 deliveries on another, so he keeps getting closer. I think the happiest person will be Yuvraj Singh. Make no mistake about it, that his record has been taken by someone he is mentoring,” Gavaskar added.
