India has established itself as a strong team in this T20 World Cup. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the defending champions have maintained their excellent performance, achieving a record 12-match winning streak in Men’s T20 World Cups over two tournaments.
As India enters the Super 8s unbeaten, the key question for other teams is how to defeat them. This topic was discussed among former England cricketers David Lloyd, Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook, and Phil Tufnell, who shared their thoughts on the challenge.
“How do you beat India? Abhishek Sharma has been outstanding despite having four noughts in his last five innings,” Vaughan mentioned on The Overlap Cricket YouTube channel.
Cook defended Sharma, confident that he can handle pressure, which was a recurring theme in the discussions. Tufnell suggested that dealing with pressure might be the only chance for competing teams.
“It’s a lottery at the end of the day. These teams have gotten close, but as pressure increases, it could be key,” Tufnell said.
Cook agreed strongly.
“The only way to beat India is by applying pressure,” Cook stated.
Lloyd then inquired about the strategies teams should consider, asking whether it’s better to bat or bowl first against India.
“What do you prefer? Batting or bowling first against India?” Lloyd asked.
Cook’s response reflected both knowledge and practicality.
“You need to set a target. Get some early wickets, and then the pressure mounts on them to score quickly. The problem is their experience in these conditions, which helps them perform well in any situation,” Cook replied.
The match against the USA was mentioned several times as a point of reference. Vaughan pointed out how close the Americans came to victory.
“The USA has been the closest to India so far,” Vaughan noted.
“And they managed to bounce back,” Tufnell added.
The conversation continued, with Lloyd asking about whether pace or varied bowling could work against India. Cook summed up the overall frustration with this thought.
“It doesn’t really matter; it depends on the pitch. Teams just hope that India doesn’t play to their full potential,” Cook concluded.
Interestingly, India hasn’t reached its full potential yet. While their results have been impressive, the batting unit still has room for improvement as they look ahead to the Super 8s.
They will start their Super 8 journey with a key match against South Africa in Ahmedabad on February 22, then move to Chennai to face Zimbabwe on February 26. Their Super 8 campaign wraps up in Kolkata with a critical match against the West Indies on March 1.
