New Delhi: Former captain Sourav Ganguly Sunday backed the Indian team’s aggressive batting template in the T20 World Cup, saying top-order players like Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma should not curb their attacking instincts even on two-paced surfaces.
India were reduced to 77 for six after opting to attack from the outset before recovering to post a competitive total in their tournament opener against USA, a pattern Ganguly said is an inevitable by-product of modern T20 cricket.
“That’s what T20 cricket is – you have to keep hitting. They are very good players and they have been doing this for a long period of time. It will happen.
“There will be some games where they miss out because they are human beings, and when you keep hitting all the time, you will miss,” Ganguly said on the sidelines of the Bharat Corporate Premier League (BCPL) Season 4 here.
“This is a very powerful team, a very strong team with balance – bowling, batting, spin bowling, fielding. As the World Cup goes on, they will get better because once you get into the tournament, the rhythm comes back. I consider India as favourites, and they will be a very hard side to beat.”
India’s numbers underline the success of that approach. Since 2023, they have breached the 200-run mark 20 times in T20s, scoring at 9.69 runs per over and hitting a six every 10.99 balls – the best among teams in the competition.
Recent chases of 153 in 10 overs and 208 in 15 overs against New Zealand showcased how quickly they can shift gears.
Ganguly praised captain Suryakumar Yadav, describing him as a proven match-winner capable of taking games away on any given day.
“He came into this tournament with a lot of runs against New Zealand… I think he is a champion T20 player. The way he hits it to different parts of the ground is unbelievable.”
“This is such a team where somebody will stand up on any given day, and as I said, all of them can take the game away,” Ganguly said.
India were without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah against the USA due to a stomach upset, but former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan said the side showed its depth by responding effectively to the challenge.
“Bumrah not being there was obviously a concern that everyone must have been thinking about, but (Mohammad) Siraj stepped up. That is important as a team, a guy who has not been part of the squad getting a call-up and responding in that manner,” Zaheer said.
Asked about Bumrah’s usage, including whether he should bowl three overs in the power play, Zaheer suggested India would be better served by managing his workload through the innings.
“I think they have experimented with that, and that is a good question. Bumrah has been doing the bulk of the workload in terms of creating impact. You can use him any which way you like, but you have to look at the whole set-up. I think he is better off at the back end of the innings, and that is something you will see going forward.”
Zaheer also backed Arshdeep Singh’s continued evolution, saying the left-arm pacer has the tools to keep improving.
“Arshdeep, as you mentioned, has been phenomenal. Swing is his strength. He has variations and is developing very well as far as I am concerned. It’s about making use of the opportunities.”
Ganguly also expressed surprise at Pakistan’s decision to back out of a World Cup fixture, stressing that every match carries significance.
“I’m really surprised with Pakistan backing out of the World Cup. You come to a World Cup to win it, and every point is important. You can’t lose points in a World Cup, so I’m a little surprised – but that’s the decision they’re taking,” he said.
Pakistan’s government had announced that the team would not take the field for the February 15 clash in Colombo while continuing to play the rest of the tournament.
Earlier, Zaheer highlighted the growing appeal of the Bharat Corporate Premier League.
“It is a very good platform. I think for those who are in love with cricket but get busy with life, an opportunity like this can be very inspirational,” he said.
