India has quietly but clearly established themselves as the benchmark for this T20 World Cup. Under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, the defending champions have carried on the momentum of 2024 with ruthless efficiency, extending their winning streak in Men’s T20 World Cups to a record 12 matches over two editions.
As India advances to the Super 8s unblemished, the greater question for the rest of the campaign is no about qualification or matchups. The question is even more difficult: how does a team beat India? That same subject became the focus of a conversation among former England cricketers David Lloyd, Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook, and Phil Tufnell, who attempted to decode the code.
“Let’s get back to the T20 World Cup how do you beat India I mean Abhishek Sharma he’s been a gun He’s got four noughts off the last five innings,” Vaughan said on The Overlap Cricket YouTube channel.
Cook was quick to defend the boy and encourage him to respond under pressure, although the term pressure kept coming up throughout the talk. Tufnell said that might be the only hope teams had left.
“You’ve got to hope I mean it is it’s a lottery at the end of the day isn’t it I mean these associates have got close but that’s what you’d like to think as you were saying as the pressure ramps up,” Tufnell said.
Alastair Cook echoed the sentiment bluntly.
“That’s the only thing beating India is pressure,” Cook said.
Lloyd then steered the chat towards tactics throwing up the classic question of approach.
“What do you want to do Do you want to bat first or bowl first against India tactically,” Lloyd remarked.
Cook’s answer reflected both experience and realism.
“I think you have to I think you have to put runs on the board Old school and just hope that you can get a couple get a couple early and then the pressure of them needing to go at 9 to 10 an over The problem is that they are so good because they play so much of it in those conditions that in every scenario they come across they seem to find a way Like the first game 70 for seven against the USA,” Cook responded.
That USA contest became a frequent point of reference. Vaughan remarked how close the Americans got.
“Well the USA are the team that has got the closest to them so far,” the former England captain noted.
“And they still got themselves out of the hole,” Tuffnell responded.
Lloyd continued the tactical probe by asking if pace or variety were the answer. Cook’s remark encapsulated the broader dissatisfaction.
“I don’t think it matters Well I think it depends on the pitch isn’t it You’re almost hoping that they have to play below their potential for any other side to have a chance,” Cook added.
Interestingly, India has not yet peaked. While the results have been faultless, the batting lineup has not clicked as a whole, leaving room for improvement once the Super 8s begin.
India’s Super 8 campaign begins on February 22 with a big game against South Africa in Ahmedabad, followed by a trip to Chennai to play Zimbabwe on February 26. Their Super 8 series culminates on March 1 in Kolkata with a high-voltage match against the West Indies.
