3 months ago
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The legendary Sunil Gavaskar says the ongoing T20I bid against New Zealand should beryllium seen arsenic an aboriginal warm-up, arsenic India are not taking thing lightly and are preparing successful close earnest to support their T20 World Cup title.
Gavaskar underlined India's extent arsenic the hosts took an unassailable 3-0 pb successful the five-match bid with a scintillating eight-wicket triumph successful Guwahati connected Sunday (January 25, 2026).
"This bid is similar an appetiser; the main people begins from the 7th of February," Gavaskar said portion speaking connected JioHoststar show.
"Having won the series, the absorption present is connected defending the World Cup title. These players are preparing thoroughly.”
"Some of them haven’t adjacent had the accidental to bat, truthful they are moving connected range-hitting, timing, rhythm, bat travel and pick-up. It shows the absorption of this team; they are not taking the World Cup lightly and not taking thing for granted."
Gavaskar said India’s extent and self-belief were evident successful the mode they person been winning matches comfortably, adjacent without contributions from the little order.
"India has implicit assurance successful themselves. When you person players similar Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya batting down the order, and they haven’t adjacent needed to bat successful 2 matches, and India is inactive winning comfortably, it tells you the benignant of caliber this squad has," helium said.
The 76-year-old added that the existent batting mindset was perfectly suited to the shortest format.
"In a 20-over game, if a batter tells himself that helium has 5 oregon 7 overs, helium tin look to people disconnected astir each ball. It doesn’t ever person to beryllium a bound oregon a six, it could beryllium a mates of runs, but the thought is to marque each shot count.”
"That content is intelligibly visible. Even if determination is simply a tiny stumble, this squad knows it tin recover, regroup, and proceed marching towards victory."
Gavaskar besides praised Abhishek Sharma for his explosive half-century successful Guwahati, which came disconnected conscionable 14 deliveries and stands arsenic the second-fastest by an Indian successful T20I cricket, drafting comparisons with Yuvraj Singh.
"I deliberation that benignant of a grounds is very, precise hard to beat. Getting to a 50 successful conscionable 2 overs is highly tough. But what Abhishek Sharma has shown implicit the past respective matches is that helium is susceptible of doing that,” helium said.
"He has scored a 50 successful 14 deliveries successful this lucifer and successful 16 deliveries connected another, truthful helium keeps getting closer. I deliberation the happiest idiosyncratic volition beryllium Yuvraj Singh. Make nary mistake astir it, that his grounds has been taken by idiosyncratic helium is mentoring," Gavaskar added.
On skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s signifier up of the World Cup, Gavaskar said the innings astatine Raipur had arrived astatine the close moment.
"His sound the different time successful Raipur gave him precisely the assurance helium needed. He hasn’t been abbreviated of form; he’s been abbreviated of runs,” helium said.
“He has been batting precise good successful the nets. He’s not struggling there; he’s hitting the shot cleanly and each astir the ground. It conscionable wasn’t moving for him successful matches. Sometimes, each it takes is simply a spot of luck to get going.”
"This time, helium didn't adjacent request luck. That innings was precisely what helium needed," Gavaskar said, adding that the shots played were a wide motion of renewed confidence.
India volition statesman their rubric defence with a crippled against USA connected February 7 successful Mumbai.
