Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma

NEW DELHI: Amid the poor run of form of opener Abhishek Sharma in the T20 World Cup, India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday backed the explosive batter, saying “it’s now our turn to cover for him”.“Abhishek Sharma ki form ki jo chinta kar rahe hain, unki chinta mai kar raha hu. (I am worried for those who are worried about Abhishek Sharma’s form),” Surya said in the pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad.“He covered for us all year, now it’s our turn,” the India captain added ahead of the Super 8 clash against South Africa on Sunday. In the three matches he has played so far in the T20 World Cup, Abhishek Sharma has failed to score a single run and has been dismissed for a duck in all three matches vs USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands in the group-stage. The prolific opener with a monstrous strike rate of 192-plus is enduring a sudden lean patch, which can primarily be attributed to his return to competitive cricket less than a week after hospitalisation.The slow pitches haven’t helped his cause either.So far, the team’s collective might has successfully ensured that results are not impacted but with the Super Eights set to take off on Saturday, it would be crucial that his bat talks loudly. India take on South Africa on February 22 in their opening match of the stage.Earlier, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel also backed the left-handed batter on Friday and said the left-hander was just one innings away from getting back in the zone.Absolutely no discussion in our team group about that,” said Morkel about Abhishek’s three ducks.“He is a world-class player. We are going to a very important phase of the World Cup now and I am sure he is going to deliver.“I am pretty sure he is hitting the ball in the nets. “It is just a matter of getting the start and getting the innings going.”

Ahmedabad: India may have ended the league phase of the World Cup unbeaten, but there are a few glitches they need to iron out before taking on much stronger sides in the Super 8 stage. India’s catching has been below par, but the most glaring shortcoming has been their batters’ failure to dominate spin, a concern that has also contributed to their home Test defeats in recent years. Two major reasons India have been bogged down by rival spinners—especially off-spinners—have been the presence of so many left-handers in the lineup and the poor form of explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who has registered three consecutive ducks.

So far in the tournament, India have faced 42 overs of spin, scoring 315 runs at a run rate just above seven. Spinners have already accounted for 15 Indian wickets. On Wednesday, Dutch off-spinner Aryan Dutt returned figures of 2/19 in four overs. Thriving on some fine spells by their spinners, Associate teams like the USA and the Netherlands have given India a scare before eventually going down. India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged that teams were targeting them with finger spin, particularly given that the Men in Blue have several left-handers in the lineup. The entire top three (Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma) are left-handed, while Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Axar Patel add to that count. “The Dutch guys took pace off the ball a lot of the time. And obviously teams are bowling a lot of finger spin to us, with so many left-handers in our lineup. That is a challenge. It has made it easier for the opposition. We don’t have many options. We’ve got Sanju sitting on the side,” ten Doeschate said. It is a problem area India need to address before their Super 8 opener against South Africa here on Sunday. The Proteas boast quality spin options in captain Aiden Markram, George Linde, and Keshav Maharaj. Even West Indies and Zimbabwe—the other teams in their group—are well stocked in the spin department and pose a threat that cannot be ignored. The Windies, as they showed in their league-stage match against England at the Wankhede Stadium, have an effective spin trio in Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein, and Roston Chase. Zimbabwe’s four-pronged spin attack of Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, and Wellington Masakadza can also spring a surprise. Ten Doeschate pointed out that it was finger spin that was troubling India’s usually aggressive batters. “I’d say finger spin (is the problem). If you take the combined figures, Pakistan bowled 14 overs of finger spin in the last game and, off the top of my head, it was something like 4/78. So it’s not a great number. Colombo was a particularly difficult wicket. The numbers against the Netherlands improved towards the back end. But again, Dutt bowling four overs for what he did was a big challenge,” he said, adding that bigger grounds had increased India’s woes. “I think these two venues in particular—with a bigger boundary here and obviously a slower wicket in Colombo—exaggerate that. But it’s something we’re going to have to focus on. With the amount of finger spin we’re going to get in the next three games, it’s going to be important that we dominate that phase of the game,” he added. Ten Doeschate felt that India’s batters have also looked vulnerable because the league-stage wickets have offered some assistance to spinners. “It’s not a sudden thing. The wickets we’ve played bilateral series on over the last 18 months have been really good batting tracks. Then, as soon as you come to a wicket that offers a bit of hold, it becomes a challenge. “So it might look like a short-term issue. On better wickets, you won’t see it—you can hit through the ball with more confidence. But the point is we need plans for wickets that do hold and where the boundaries are bigger. We need a clear game plan to deal with that threat,” he said. Given all the talk of ‘intent’ and a ‘fearless’ approach in T20Is, India’s post-Powerplay drop in run rate has also been very surprising.

India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (AP Photo/Solomon Chingono)

India have completed their T20 World Cup group-stage assignments and now brace for a far sterner examination in the Super 8s. The defending champions will face tougher opposition in the next phase, including 2024 runners-up South Africa, the West Indies and Zimbabwe. So far, India have underlined their status as title holders by sweeping aside every challenge in the opening round. Speaking on Ash ki Baat, Ravichandran Ashwin lauded the team’s consistency but admitted that the performance against the Netherlands was not flawless. He pointed out that Suryakumar Yadav anchored the innings with care, while Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh were positioned to lift the scoring rate at the right moment. Ashwin emphasised that even when India are not at their sharpest, their overall strength makes them difficult to beat.

“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 also discussed Tilak Varma’s approach in the shortest format, especially as he works his way back after injury. He underlined that T20 success does not always depend on brute force and highlighted the value of timing and placement. “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. Elsewhere, Pakistan confirmed their Super Eights qualification with a win over Namibia, joining India from Group A. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe progressed from Group B, the West Indies and England advanced from Group C, while South Africa and New Zealand moved ahead from Group D in the 20-team tournament. With Australia and New Zealand already assured of entry into the 2028 edition as co-hosts, all teams that have reached the Super Eights, including New Zealand alongside Australia, have now secured qualification for that event.

Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi and teammate Usman Tariq leave the field after Pakistan lost their T20 World Cup game against India (AP Photo)

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi launched a scathing attack on the senior core of the Pakistan national cricket team after their crushing 61-run defeat to India national cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at R Premadasa Stadium.Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India dominated the Group A clash on Sunday, handing Pakistan a heavy blow and leaving them in a must-win situation against Namibia to have any chance of reaching the Super 8s.

Afridi, speaking on Samaa TV, did not hold back and urged the team management to make bold calls ahead of the crucial fixture. He called for the exclusion of senior players including Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, stating that they had been given ample opportunities over the years without delivering consistent results. Notably, Shaheen is married to Afridi’s daughter Ansha.“Drop Shaheen, drop Shadab, and drop Babar. Try fresh faces against Namibia and give the new players a chance to build confidence. They’ve been playing for a long time. Whenever we expect them to perform, they don’t. If these senior players aren’t giving us the performances we desire, then play the juniors who are sitting on the bench. What is the difference?”, Afridi said during a Live show.Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted after the match that the spinners failed to deliver on a surface that offered assistance.“We were believing in our spinners, and they had an off day today. Execution was missing in some parts of the game. We were obviously going to always believe our spinners, because they’ve done really well in last six month. And with the batting I think we didn’t start well and in T20 games if we lose 3 or 4 wickets in powerplay, you are always chasing the game,” he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.Salman also criticised the batting unit for not adapting to the conditions.“I think, to be very honest, like in first inning it was a bit tacky. The ball was gripping as well. So, the execution was, I think, missing when it comes to bowling, but I think the pitch better played better in the second inning than first inning. But our bowlers like, we didn’t bowl according to the situation. And when it comes to batting, we didn’t apply ourselves and gave us a chance to go deep in the game,” he said.

Jasprit Bumrah appeals successfully for the wicket of Pakistan’s Saim Ayub. (PTI Photo)

Only remnants of a once-terrific rivalry remain as India show depth and batting smarts to turn tables on Pakistan for runaway 61-run winForget the outside noise. The gulf in class between India and Pakistan is simply enormous at the moment.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Going into the Sunday encounter, Pakistan had a lot of things in their favour. They have been in Lanka for a significant amount of time, played two games on slow pitches and were well adjusted to the conditions. Add to that, they won the toss and after taking the timid call of fielding, even had the dynamite Abhishek Sharma in the first over.

But what happened after that was just a rerun of the remains of a rivalry that once had the cricket world in awe.They ran into Ishan Kishan, who wasn’t probably on top of their planning charts. The left-hander was nowhere close to a T20 World Cup selection when India won the Asia Cup six months ago.A superb Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Jharkhand and Shubman Gill’s loss in T20 form led to the call-up for the 27-year-old and today, he is the toast of the nation.The Premadasa pitch was super slow, the ball was not coming on to the bat, but what Ishan did in a period of 46 balls, of which he faced 39, left India on a very strong footing.Later in the evening, the Indian bowlers had way too much quality and when Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya made it 13/3 in the first three overs, it was all but done.After Bumrah’s burst of pace and accuracy, it was Axar Patel’s stump to stump spell of 2-29 that killed the game. What should give India even bigger satisfaction is the fact that their two spin trumpcards Varun and Kuldeep Yadav didn’t even have to finish their spells to wrap this one up by 61 runs.But this game will be remembered for the way Kishan (77 off 40) batted. He launched into paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi, hitting him for a couple of sixes in the second over. And then, it was his assault on the spinners. The likes of Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan didn’t know where to bowl to Ishan, as he held his shape, and generated tremendous power with his cut, pull and sweep shots.The first six overs went for 52, which was significantly above par on this pitch.Pakistan captain Agha made the mistake of not introducing his trump card Usman Tariq early and Ishan kept on creating havoc. There was zero fear in his approach as the shots flew from his bat.It was allrounder Saim Ayub, who finally removed him with a delivery that hurried off just a bit. It was after Ishan’s dismissal that you could see the demons that lay in the pitch.None of the other batters could get going on a consistent basis and Ayub and Tariq took over from the 10th over. Tariq, with his box of tricks kept Surya and Tilak Verma in check as boundaries dried up.To Surya’s credit though, he didn’t try to look for non-existent big shots. Instead, during his 29-ball 32, he kept the scoreboard ticking knowing that 175 would be above par.Tilak and Hardik Pandya were dismissed off consecutive balls by Ayub in the 15th over, but India still had too much depth in the tank.Surya and Dube kept waiting for the right bowlers to take on — in this case Abrar and Afridi — who came back for their second spells. It was another mistake by Agha to try these two later in the innings.