The mystery seems to have unravelled and though his teammates still consider Varun Chakravarthy the ‘X-factor’, the leg-spinner knows that he is racing against time to arrest what has been a stunning slide.

The world’s top-ranked bowler would be a weak link for India going into the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand on Sunday (March 8, 2026) if the team management chooses to persist with him.

The steady dip in his form since the Super Eight phase of the tournament can’t be brushed aside and Chakravarthy would need to clear the doubts in his mind after being taken to the cleaners in the business end of the tournament.

The hammering he received at the hands of England swashbuckler Jacob Bethell on Thursday night in a narrow seven-run win for India could well prove to be the last straw.

India vice-captain Axar Patel has had conversations with Chakravarthy of late and stressed on the importance of sticking to plans even when things are not going one’s way.

“We have talked about it (about Chakravarthy’s ongoing issues), we have played a lot of knockout games at this moment, so it is very important to have a mindset, yes, there is skill and all, but what we talk to them is, when you go for runs, don’t change your plan even if the batter is targetting,” Axar said on Thursday (March 5).

“You have a plan to put it in the stumps first, and then suddenly you change the line. Yes there could be mistakes in the pressure situations, we keep telling him, yes, you are the X Factor, trust yourself, and when it comes to the ball,it is all about confidence.” The mystery spinner put in the hard yards at the nets ahead of the semifinal but wasn’t able to find his lengths after being introduced in the powerplay. He ended with forgettable figures of 64 for one in four overs to be the most expensive of the five front-line bowlers on a belter of a track.

England had done their homework against Chakravarthy and he was not allowed into settle any sort of rhythm by the left-handed Bethell, who smashed him for three sixes in his opener.

Guilty of bowling too short or too full over the past fortnight, Chakravarthy was pulled over long-on for a maximum on his very first ball.

The 34-year-old expectedly tried to bowl fuller the next ball which was dispatched down the ground by the highly-rated English batter.

The third hit was the most impressive, a reverse hit over backward point, denting the bowler’s confidence further.

Bethell ended up smashing Chakravarthy for 42 runs off just 13 balls on way to a special hundred that could not take England all the way in a high-scoring affair.

His first over went for 23 runs and every time he was brought back into the attack, Chakaravarthy was not able to keep the batters in check.

“If you look at it, even after being hit for a few sixes, he got the wicket of Jos Buttler. He is the number one T20 bowler, he knows what he is doing. It is a matter of mindset. We have one more match, maybe he will give a match-winning performance in the final,” asserted Axar.

India off-spin great Harbhajan Singh feels Chakravarthy is bowling a lot quicker than he should.

“He is a match-winner but any bowler would be under pressure after being attacked from the get go. Besides the higher speeds, he is not able to find the right length. It is either too short or too full.

“Targetting the stumps is his strength but at times, he has deviated from that stock strategy and gone wide. He is under pressure. All he can do is go back to the nets and put in the effort,” Harbhajan told PTI after the game at Wankhede.

The biggest challenge for a bowler in the unforgiving T20 format is to not alter his plans despite being put under extreme pressure. Bethell forced Chakravarthy off his plans.

Considering the devastating nature of the New Zealand openers, Chakaravarthy will have a massive challenge at hand on Sunday night.

Sitanshu Kotak always put a heavy price on his wicket. Saurashtra’s doughty southpaw was a domestic giant. Never aesthetic in his approach, Kotak always made effective runs. Now in his role as the Indian team’s batting coach, he draws satisfaction from the way his wards perform.

He couldn’t stop smiling late on Sunday (March 1, 2026) night after Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 took India past the West Indies in the ICC T20 World Cup clash at the Eden Gardens. “Sanju is such a class player. He batted really well. Truly a match-winning innings. Everybody knew that Sanju will perform,” Kotak told the media.

The batting coach admitted that some technical adjustments were made while Samson evolved: “He felt he was getting ready a little early. Sanju does two to three different things. We have been talking from the England series, about the short balls he got out to. All that we discussed.”

Through his knock, Samson looked assured, and Kotak explained: “The special feature about this innings was that it was completely under control. That’s what you expect from someone like Sanju who is so experienced. He has scored so many runs in internationals, in the IPL. In a way, he has been a leader. So, that’s what you expect from someone like him.”

Kotak also praised Tilak Varma: “Tilak is very flexible. He never talks about the batting order. If you want him to open, he is ready. Number three, he really enjoys. Now, with the situation of having three left-handers in a row, he knew that the batting order was changing for that reason. Obviously, Surya, we won’t change, so Tilak goes in at five. He understands that. Though he is aggressive, he plays according to the merit of the ball. He doesn’t blindly slog the ball.”

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said he was surprised to see Abhishek Sharma play a defensive stroke, praising the explosive opener for silencing his critics with a timely half-century against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup.

Since returning from a stomach bug, Abhishek looked a distant shadow of his dominating self, registering three ducks in a row.

However, on Thursday, Abhishek snapped the lean patch, scoring a 30-ball 55 in India’s 72-run win over Zimbabwe to signal a return to form.

“We know how good Abhishek Sharma is as a batter. He silenced his doubters with this knock of 55 runs against Zimbabwe,” Gavaskar told JioStar.

“He took that extra time to start his innings. There was a method to his batting. He respected the off spinner, didn’t take any kind of risks and played in a calm and a composed manner.” “In this game, he actually played a defensive shot. He defended the ball. I was surprised to see that because we don’t usually see Abhishek do that,” Gavaskar added.

The legendary batter said it has been a learning curve for Abhishek, whose batting exploits are at the forefront of India’s attack.

“I really think this is a learning curve for him. Every cricketer goes through a rough patch of not scoring runs in back-to-back games. It is about how much you learn from it,” Gavaskar said.

“I feel Abhishek has learned a lot and this will augur well for him going forward, in the next couple of games and the all-important clash against West Indies in Kolkata.” Gavaskar said India appeared a “broken” side against South Africa but learnt quickly from their mistakes to bring Sanju Samson back at the top to ensure a right hand-left hand combination.

“As they say, why fix things if it ain’t broke? But India were broken against South Africa. They realised they needed a right-left combination at the top. Learning from the previous game was very important,” he said.

“In the interest of the team, he (Samson) went for a big hit and got out. That is fine because he got India off to a flying start. In a tournament like the T20 World Cup, that is important. A flying start gives a nice platform for the other batters to come in and smash the ball around.”

Gavaskar said India will have to be wary of West Indies’ all-round firepower as the two teams meet in a virtual knockout game in Kolkata on Sunday.

“(The) West Indies is a completely different challenge. They cannot be taken for granted. Their batters are in top form. Their bowlers are doing well. They punish opposition mistakes and strike at the right time,” Gavaskar said.

“India will need a good plan to handle the West Indies batting threat. Their batters start playing shots from ball one. They do not wait to see if the delivery needs respect. Their way of respecting the ball is by hitting it over the ropes.”

In front of the press box, fans were composing ditties and singing with gusto. Their subject of affection were the Indian players ranging from Sanju Samson to Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav to Tilak Varma, and when Arshdeep Singh fielded close to the ropes, he too was serenaded.

Thursday (February 26, 2026) night in Chennai at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium was all about joy rippling through the stands as India emphatically defeated Zimbabwe, and kept its semifinal hopes alive in the ICC T20 World Cup. The sporting crowd, a quintessential Chepauk tradition, also cheered Brian Bennett’s valiant unbeaten 97.

India, meanwhile, fine-tuned its team composition. The strategy of three left-handers atop the batting tree causing a predictable off-spin counter, was dealt with effectively. Right-hander Samson added zest with his 24.

However, the opener falling on the pull seems to be a pattern, and if he could rectify that, the defending champion would be better served. Abhishek Sharma too found his voice through a 55 and Tilak striding in at number six, was at his effervescent best. And when Hardik Pandya clicks with the bat, it lends a halo to this Indian outfit.

The all-rounder’s unbeaten 50 added further momentum as Suryakumar’s men enjoyed their stint in the park. But as the championship narrows down to the last stage, better opposition attacks need to be countered, and for the moment, India seems to have locked in its batting order with Hardik being the floater.

On a batting-friendly surface, the Indian bowlers had to be at their best. While most kept their end of the bargain, especially Arshdeep, Shivam Dube suffered the horrors. He may have run into an aggressive Bennett but it only got worse as he bowled two no-balls and a wide.

After the match, Dube had a stint in the nets, working on his lines. The all-rounder has to tighten a bit but as a package, he offers value. Triumphant World Cup campaigns are all about units finding their cohesive whole closer to the final, India is on it now. More evidence could be gleaned from its clash against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday (March 1, 2026).

That there is a tough life beyond sport also became obvious as Rinku Singh had to grapple with the news of his father’s demise. In the 1999 World Cup in England, Sachin Tendulkar dealt with a similar fate. Life, the regular and the sporting, just goes on.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday (February 18, 2026) said Indian cricketers not shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the recently played cricket match is “dadagiri” (bullying) by the BJP and the Centre.

Mr. Raut said his party is of the opinion that matches should not be played between India and Pakistan.

Also read: India-Pakistan encounter: In defence of the ‘boring’ match

“(But) If you are doing that, then show sportsmanship,” Mr. Raut said.

“Indian players not shaking hands with Pakistani players is dadagiri of the BJP and the government on Indian players. Why are you playing? What happens if you don’t play (with Pakistan),” he said.

“By playing with Pakistan, thousands of crores are earned in betting. Of this, half will go to Pakistan. That money will go to Dawood Ibrahim and Masood Azhar. This will again lead to terrorism,” the Sena (UBT) MP added.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha during the toss of their T20 World Cup clash in Colombo on Sunday (February 15, 2026), maintaining the status quo since the Asia Cup in Dubai last year.

After put into bat, Zimbabwe openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani scored rapidly to push Australian bowlers on the backfoot during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup match in Colombo on Friday (February 13, 2026).

The only Zimbabwean wicket was Marumani who was dismissed for 35 off 21 balls with the score at 61 in just 7.3 overs.

While publishing this story Brian Bennett (36) and Ryan Burl (26) were at the crease with the score at 106 for 1 in 13 overs.

Australia stand-in captain Travis Head won the toss and elected to bowl against Zimbabwe in their T20 World Cup match in Colombo on Friday (February 13, 2026).

Both sides made two changes each from their previous match playing XIs.

Ben Dwarshuis and Tim David replaced Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett in the Australian team.

For Zimbabwe, Tony Munyonga and Greame Creamer are coming in for Brendan Taylor and Richard Ngarava.

Mitchell Marsh misses second World Cup game

Captain Mitchell Marsh was again missing for Australia in their second game at the T20 World Cup, against Zimbabwe in Colombo on Friday (February 13, 2026), after suffering internal testicular bleeding.

Marsh is still recovering after being struck in the groin during training, with Travis Head leading the former champions at R. Premadasa Stadium.

Marsh also missed the win over Ireland on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) and Steve Smith was called up as cover.

“Steve Smith hasn’t reached Colombo yet but hopefully the skipper is fit soon,” Head said at the toss, which he won and chose to bowl against Zimbabwe.

The in-form Smith is one of Australia’s most experienced and best players against spin.

But he was controversially omitted from the squad despite his blistering Big Bash League form as an opening batsman.

Australia are already without pace bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who are ruled out of the competition with injuries.

Teams:

Australia: Travis Head (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann.

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani.

(With inputs from PTI and AFP)

The Netherlands produced a tidy, disciplined bowling performance to restrict Namibia to a modest 156 for 8 in a Group A T20 World Cup clash between the associate nations in New Delhi on Tuesday (February 10, 2026), despite a spirited middle-overs recovery from the African side.

This was Namibia’s first outing of the tournament, and it showed in patches. Short of recent match time, with their last T20I being that last-ball win over South Africa in October 2025, they took time to find rhythm.

With no Indian team involved, the stands were sparsely populated, but the cricket on display was of good quality. Jan Frynlick (30) and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (42) revived the innings with their steady 50-run stand after an early setback.

The Dutch set the tone early. Pacer Logan van Beek (2/13) hit the deck hard with the new ball, while off-spinner Aryan Dutt (1/13) bowled a probing, miserly spell that choked the scoring.

Dutt provided the first breakthrough when he lured Nikolaas Davin Steenkamp (6) down the track. Steenkamp walked forward to negate the spin but missed the line and length completely, allowing Scott Edwards to complete a sharp stumping.

The Netherlands largely controlled the powerplay, conceding just 29 runs in the first five overs. Namibia managed only one maximum in that phase, Frylinck briefly breaking the shackles by pulling Klaassen for six.

Seeing the impact Dutt was making, Dutch skipper Edwards introduced Colin Ackermann, but the off-break bowler was handled confidently. Loftie-Eatonm (40) hammered him straight down the ground for six, while Frylinck followed up with a crisp cover drive for four.

The pair added a valuable 50-run stand, but with runs still at a premium, van Beek returned to break it, inducing Frylinck to edge behind.

Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus, fresh at the crease, then provided the spark the innings needed. He unfurled a fluent display against Tim van der Gugten, creaming 16 runs from one over to push Namibia past 100 in the 13th.

Edwards responded with smart captaincy, rotating his bowlers, mixing pace and spin, and using as many as eight bowling options to prevent momentum from building.

The Netherlands needed Loftie-Eaton to bat deep, and van Beek delivered again, removing the set batter to redeem himself after his expensive penultimate over against Pakistan earlier in the tournament.

JJ Smit (22) briefly threatened a late surge, lofting Roelof van der Merwe for back-to-back sixes, but Bas de Leede cut short the cameo, clipping the bail with a quicker delivery. Without a final flourish, Namibia were forced to settle for a below-par total, one the Netherlands will back themselves to chase.