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Gavaskar: Early wickets haunt India's T20 World Cup hopes
23 Feb
Summary
- Sunil Gavaskar believes India's T20 World Cup 2026 struggles stem from early wicket losses.
- India lost Ishan Kishan for a duck and slumped to 26-3 against South Africa.
- Gavaskar remains confident India can reach the semifinals despite NRR concerns.
Sunil Gavaskar, a renowned batting legend, has pointed to India's recurring early wicket losses as the main cause of their batting inconsistency during the T20 World Cup 2026. He stated that failing to secure a strong start in the initial overs, often losing a batter within the first over, places undue pressure on subsequent batsmen.
The former opening batter highlighted the recent Super 8 match against South Africa on February 22, where India crumbled to 26-3 after Ishan Kishan was dismissed for a duck. This pattern was also observed in group stage matches against Pakistan and the Netherlands.
Despite India's significant defeat in Ahmedabad, Gavaskar remains optimistic about their chances of reaching the semifinals. However, he stressed the importance of winning upcoming matches against Zimbabwe on February 26 in Chennai and West Indies on March 1 in Kolkata by substantial margins to boost their net run rate.
