And just as quietly as it started, the group phase of the T20 World Cup is drawing to a close, featuring battles where the ball dominated bat more often than not and thus there were hardly any fireworks.
For Rohit Sharma and his India teammates, this is where the action really begins. (Getty Images)
India will face Afghanistan, Australia, and Bangladesh or the Netherlands in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. We will know this for sure on Monday when the group phase concludes. Given that this was the first time in nine editions that 20 teams, including nine Associate nations, were featuring in a T20 World Cup, lopsided contests were par for the course. Though the upside was that teams like USA (co-hosts alongside West Indies), Nepal and Scotland had a platform to try and make a mark, there were also some humdrum matches involving some of the smaller teams that didn’t make for compelling viewing.
For Rohit Sharma and his India teammates, this is where the action really begins then. While the absence of an ICC title since 2013 is at the core of the criticism that has come their way in recent years — they have often stumbled in semi-finals and finals — what one cannot take away is their exceptional consistency over a prolonged period. Of the 96 T20Is that they have played since 2020, they have won 65 and lost just 24. Progressing past the group stage was thus a matter of formality for the world’s No.1 T20 team (as per the ICC rankings).
India’s players will be aware that they will be judged by what they do over the next couple of weeks. If their run in this tournament culminates in Rohit lifting that glittering piece of silverware at Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29, they will be feted with fervour. If they don’t, the knives will be out about yet another failing at a marquee event. They haven’t won a T20 World Cup since the inaugural edition in 2007.
Not that India can afford to think that far ahead right now. With the nature of the T20 format already bridging the gap between teams, it doesn’t take a lot for a contest to turn on its head in the space of a few deliveries. With that established, it is paramount for India to focus on the threats posed by each of their opponents in Group 1 of the Super Eights before harbouring grander ambitions. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
On Thursday, India will run into Afghanistan in Barbados what they may consider as the first proper test of the tournament. Yes, they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in a close contest in Long Island, but that result didn’t have a lot riding on it from their perspective (the seedings for the Super Eights were pre-decided).
Unlike Pakistan — spinner Imad Wasim has conceded that they have slid in comparison to the top teams — Afghanistan have a bunch of players on the up in white-ball cricket. The Indian Premier League (IPL) can take some of the credit for the exposure that players from the war-torn country have had, but it is also a testament to their own skill and resolve that they have risen the ladder fairly quickly. Remember that it was at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2010, coincidentally against India, that Afghanistan made their debut on the big stage. They were merely making up the numbers then, but now they are striving to beat the big teams and join the high table of international cricket.
That mindset was encapsulated by coach Jonathan Trott after they defeated Papua New Guinea to win three on the trot. Their winning run includes a hammering of a New Zealand team comprising experienced pros Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee, but Afghanistan aren’t exulting just yet.
“To come to a World Cup and win three is a nice feeling, but (there is) also the realisation and reality that we haven’t won anything yet. We only achieved the group stage and we’ve got some important cricket matches coming up which we’re going to have to play well in,” Trott told reporters.
Fuelling this belief is skipper, leg-spinner and talisman Rashid Khan, among the finest at his craft in the shortest format right now. One of the most sought-after players in T20 leagues around the world, the 25-year-old has been excellent again with six wickets in three matches at an economy of 4.5. But he is not alone in inflicting damage — Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad have played fine supporting roles as spinners while left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi has done a terrific job up front with the new ball.
What has also led to a marked improvement in their fortunes is the emergence of the batting unit. As we saw at last year’s ODI World Cup, where they came ever so close to making the semi-finals, there’s now considerable heft in the top six with opening batter and wicket-keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is part of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL, leading the way.
Despite all this, India will still go into this first game as favourites. That won’t be the case against the Australians though. Because recent history is entirely in favour of the Aussies, having defeated India in the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup finals in 2023. The six-time 50-over champions didn’t even look at their menacing best for a vast majority of last year’s World Cup, and yet when the title was on the line in Ahmedabad, the men in canary yellow were a shade better than those in blue.
Led by Mitch Marsh at this event, Australia have been in fine form so far. In Barbados last week, they outplayed defending champions England in all departments to prevail by 36 runs. From Travis Head and David Warner at the top of the batting order to Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood with the new ball, pretty much everyone in that Australian line-up is capable of turning a match with individual brilliance.
Besides the challenges presented by their opponents, India will also have to quickly get accustomed to the tracks in the Caribbean. They played their previous matches in Long Island, New York, on pitches that had generous assistance for the pace bowlers. It resulted in low-scoring games where the batters didn’t really have to address past concerns of not showing enough aggression.
All said and done, India will fancy their chances of notching up at least two wins in this phase and entering the last four. And then it boils down to playing your best cricket on the day of the semi-final and final, something that India haven’t quite done in recent ICC events.
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