Ibrahim Zadran of Afghanistan plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group D match against Canada at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.
| Photo Credit: Raghunathan SR

India’s Varun Chakravarthy (AP Photo)

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has backed Varun Chakravarthy as India’s most dangerous weapon at the moment, even suggesting that the mystery spinner is proving more lethal than Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Srikkanth also expressed surprise that Varun is not receiving the recognition he deserves.Varun has been in exceptional form, claiming nine wickets in four matches at an average of 6.88 and an economy rate of 5.16. In India’s game against the Netherlands, he returned outstanding figures of three for 14 from three overs.

Interestingly, in the 21 matches where Varun and Bumrah have featured together, the spinner leads the wicket tally 30-22. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said that batters are still unable to decipher Varun’s variations.“Look at the pitch maps — most of his deliveries are around off-stump and middle-stump. Against right-handers, the ball just angles in slightly and then turns. His googly comes in sharply. Most of his wickets are from good length or just short of good length. Not even full deliveries. Even his so-called short balls are deceptive.”“People don’t know what he’s bowling. Is it a googly? Is it the straight one? Is it slower? Is it quicker? No one knows. Suddenly he bowls one faster. Then he changes speed again. Multiple speeds. Long run-up, relaxed action — but incredibly deceptive.”“Frankly speaking, he doesn’t get enough credit. Bumrah is fantastic. You won’t easily find a bowler like Bumrah,” said Srikkanth.Although Shivam Dube was named Player of the Match against the Netherlands, Srikkanth felt Varun was equally deserving.“Today, yes, Shivam Dube played a blinder and deserved Man of the Match. I’m not denying that. But if you look at Varun’s figures — three wickets for very few runs, all top-order wickets — why wasn’t he even considered a contender for Man of the Match? No one even thought about it,” he said.Since making a comeback after an underwhelming start to his international career, Varun has taken 47 wickets in 27 matches across 2024 and 2025. In 2026 alone, he already has 13 wickets from seven games. Srikkanth believes that if India lift the trophy, Varun could well be Player of the Tournament.“Hundred percent (he can be the Player Of The Tournament). Because of consistency. In every match he plays, even on a bad day, he gives away only 34 or 35 runs. For a spinner, four overs for 36 runs is absolutely acceptable in T20 cricket. But within that, he still takes one or two wickets.”“He’s casually delivering match-winning performances. But he’s not celebrated enough,” said Srikkanth.The former chief selector went a step further, calling Varun a modern-day great in the format and comparing his current impact to what Bumrah delivered in T20Is a few years ago.“Varun, you are a modern-day great. I’m telling you honestly from my heart — not because you’re Tamil, not because you’re from Tamil Nadu or Chennai. No. Purely because of ability. Every batter is struggling. They don’t know how to face him. They don’t know whether to defend. They don’t know whether to attack. They don’t know what to do against him.”“That’s exactly what Bumrah used to be a couple of years ago. Bumrah is still doing brilliantly,” said Srikkanth.Varun will next feature in India’s Super 8 encounter against South Africa on Sunday, February 22.

West Indies captain Shai Hope and Italy’s captain Harry Manenti during the toss before the start of the match between at Eden Gardens, in Kolkata on February 19, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe (Agency Image)

Although qualification permutations are no longer in play with the Super Eights line-up already confirmed, there is still plenty at stake when Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe face off in Colombo. Both sides remain unbeaten in the group stage, and this fixture offers a timely dress rehearsal before the next phase of the tournament.For context, one of these teams failed to progress to the Super Eights in the 2024 edition, while the other did not even make it to that tournament. By that measure alone, this campaign marks clear progress for both outfits. However, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza made it clear after the washed-out clash against Ireland that merely reaching the Super Eights will not satisfy his team.Zimbabwe have already made headlines by knocking Australia out early and will aim to carry that momentum forward when they travel to India for the next round. With two strong victories built on collective performances across batting, bowling and fielding, another win — especially against the co-hosts — would significantly boost their confidence and potentially secure a top finish in Group B.Standing in their way is a Sri Lankan side brimming with form. They are coming off one of their most dominant T20 World Cup victories in recent memory. Pathum Nissanka delivered what many consider the innings of the tournament so far, Kusal Mendis has been in outstanding touch, and Pavan Rathnayake has emerged as an unexpected but effective presence at No. 4.Injuries, however, have tested Sri Lanka’s depth. Matheesha Pathirana has been ruled out of the competition, adding to the earlier loss of Wanindu Hasaranga. As co-hosts, they will be eager to avoid further setbacks while maintaining their rhythm heading into the Super Eights.

Today T20 World Cup matches – Thursday, 19 February

Joji Varghese with Sanju Samson

NEW DELHI: In 2017, Joji Varghese packed his luggage, left Thiruvananthapuram forever, and flew to Canada. He had obtained a Canadian PR — a challenging but necessary step to secure a bright future for his children. His wife had been working as a nurse in Italy, but language barriers made settling there difficult. A long-term vision, his children’s future, and a decent life — these were all in Joji’s mind, and hence he chose Canada. While applying for PR, he needed a profession to qualify and chose a six-month massage therapy course. The course eventually helped him secure permanent residency in Canada.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!He moved to Canada and started living in Brampton, near Toronto.He had achieved all his dreams by then except one — meeting his favourite cricketer, Sanju Samson, whom he had watched play from afar at the same college where he worked as a physical education teacher.

Fate, it seems, had its own plans. Destiny served that dream on a platter to Joji, and he became emotional.Over time, Joji made a name for himself as a skilled massage therapist in Canada and later got an opportunity to work with Cricket Canada. Now, he is travelling with the Canadian team for the T20 World Cup 2026 in India. Wearing the Canada jersey, he moves from one corner of a cricket ground to another, meeting cricketers from all over the world and cherishing every moment of his homecoming.Interestingly, his long-cherished dream was fulfilled when India and Canada were scheduled to practice at the Arun Jaitley Stadium recently in different time slots, and Joji got to meet his hero — Sanju Samson.“I was destined to meet him. It’s nothing short of a dream story for me. Finally meeting Sanju was truly a dream come true,” Joji told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview. “Back when he was a college student, I would often see him on campus because we were in the same college. He was at Mar Baselios Engineering College in Thiruvananthapuram for his bachelor’s degree, and I was in the Sports Department in the same campus.“

Joji Varghese with Canada cricket team captain Dilpreet Bajwa

“When I learned that Canada and India were sharing the same practice session, I was really excited. And when I finally saw him on the ground, it became one of the most memorable moments of my life that I will cherish forever. Our conversation took place after his warm-up session when he came to the dressing room. Sanju was extremely humble, approachable, and down-to-earth. When I told him I was from Kerala, he immediately smiled, addressed me as ‘Chetta,’ and asked, ‘Sugamano?’—instantly creating a personal and emotional connection. Despite being such a big international star, he interacted with great simplicity and respect,” he said.“We spoke about Canadian cricket and our journeys. Sanju also has a massive fan following in Canada. The Indian community there, as well as many members of the Canadian team, admire him deeply for his batting consistency and calm leadership. Among young cricketers and fans of Kerala origin, his popularity continues to grow. Every weekend, people form teams and play cricket, and Sanju is a big inspiration for them,” Joji added.Joji has also worked with several international cricketers including Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius, Moeen Ali, Shane Bond, Tim Southee, Yuvraj Singh and Mark Chapman.

JOJI’S JOURNEY: KERALA TO CANADAWith his wife working in Italy, Joji managed both children while continuing his job in Thiruvananthapuram.Both Joji and his wife applied for Canadian PR, and once they received it, they didn’t look back. The decision was emotional, but considering the future of their children, they took this bold step.“My daughter missed her mother a lot. We needed money at that time, so my wife had to leave. In Italy, you need to know Italian if you apply for PR. That’s why we chose an English-speaking country, and we chose Canada. My wife is in the medical field, so she easily got PR, and I did a sports massage therapist course. Because of the demand, I got an opportunity too,” he said.“Now, I have four kids. My daughter is 16, my second child, a son, is 13, and I have twin boys who are six years old,” he added.“I worked in a private company and then got the opportunity with the Global T20 Canada tournament. That was a big opportunity for me. Later, I got an offer with Cricket Canada, and with the help of the cricket board, I am now travelling to India,” he said.“Currently, it’s minus 30 degrees in Canada. Cricketers need extra attention in such conditions. We came in the first week of January to Sri Lanka for a practice session to adapt to the climate. We trained there for a whole month,” he added.

Image credit: Zimbabwe Cricket

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza stressed that reaching the Super 8s was only one milestone in a much bigger journey after his side progressed to the next stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 following a rain-hit fixture against Ireland at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday.The abandoned match earned both teams a point each, taking Zimbabwe to five points in Group B and ending Australia’s hopes of advancing.

“The fact that we’ve qualified for the Super 8s hasn’t changed the ultimate goal that we set out for. Like I said, it’s just a tick in the box, but we have a lot of other goals to achieve and everybody loves an underdog story, don’t they?” Raza said.He reflected on Zimbabwe’s long qualification route, including the sub-regional stage featuring Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.“I’ll take you back when we played the sub-regional qualifiers B, and we played the Kenya, the Rwanda, Tanzania, and all those teams. And I remember I stood up to my troops and I said, we are in this position or in this mess, as you want to call it, because of us. There’s no one else to blame. And only us that would get this mess clear and only us can get it out of it. So what are we gonna do about it? And we won the qualifiers B, regional sub-regional B, then the main qualifiers happened. We won that as well,” he said.Zimbabwe now enter a challenging Super 8 group alongside defending champions India, 2024 runners-up South Africa and two-time winners West Indies, needing a top-two finish to make the semi-finals.“Yeah, certainly so. Myself and the coach will sit down. We watched Sri Lanka in the last three games as well. We’re going to have the data on them and we try and put our best foot forward and try and win that game. That is the whole point of us being here,” Raza said of their preparation.“I think every condition we find ourselves in, if we can find a day or two to train, I think we’ll sum up the conditions really well and hopefully make those plans. One thing you can’t fight is the weather and conditions. So we try and learn those conditions if we can have two, three training days in a particular city, wherever we’re going to.”Before the Super 8s begin, Zimbabwe will take on co-hosts Sri Lanka in their final group-stage match at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.

England’s Harry Brook during the England vs Italy T20 World Cup match in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on February 16, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Pathum Nissanka (ICC Photo)

NEW DELHI: Opener Pathum Nissanka turned a challenging chase into a masterclass on Monday, smashing a blistering 100 not out off 52 balls to guide Sri Lanka to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Australia at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.The win not only secured Sri Lanka’s spot in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup but also left Australia’s qualification hopes hanging by a thread. Australia will be eliminated if Zimbabwe beat Ireland on Tuesday.

Chasing a target of 182, Sri Lanka’s innings was anchored by Nissanka, who struck 10 fours and five sixes, and Kusal Mendis, who contributed a fluent 51 off 38 balls. The pair stitched together a 97-run partnership for the second wicket, keeping Sri Lanka comfortably ahead. Pavan Rathnayake added a quick 28 off 15 balls as the hosts raced to 184/2 in just 18 overs, maintaining a commanding run rate throughout.Australia, sent in to bat, got off to a flying start with Mitchell Marsh (54 off 27) and Travis Head (56 off 29) adding 104 runs in less than nine overs. Their power-hitting set Australia up for a total beyond 200, with boundaries and sixes flowing freely.However, Sri Lanka clawed their way back in the latter half of the innings. Leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha emerged as the standout bowler with figures of 3/37 in four overs, while Dushmantha Chameera and Dunith Wellalage picked up crucial wickets. Australia collapsed from 104/0 to 130/4 and eventually folded for 181. Pathum Nissanka also redeemed himself in the field, taking a brilliant diving catch to dismiss Glenn Maxwell.Sri Lanka suffered an early setback when Kusal Perera was caught at deep backward point, but Nissanka and Mendis ensured the chase remained under control. Even after Mendis’s dismissal by Marcus Stoinis, there was no stopping Nissanka, who carried the team over the line with 12 balls to spare.The result marks a dramatic turnaround for Sri Lanka, while Australia, who had earlier been humbled by Zimbabwe, now face a precarious path to the Super Eight. The hosts’ combination of explosive batting and clinical bowling proved too much for the Australians, highlighting Sri Lanka’s momentum and Australia’s vulnerability in the tournament.

India’s Ishan Kishan plays a shot during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R. Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 15, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI

USA’s Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi greet each other during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup match against Namibia in Chennai on February 15, 2026
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu