Updated 26 January 2026 at 15:33 IST
'When You Have Players Like Rinku and Hardik Batting Down The Order...': Sunil Gavaskar Sings Praises Of India's Depth Ahead of T20 World Cup
Ahead of the T20 World Cup, India once again flexed their muscle with a convincing eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the 3rd T20I match.
India flexed their muscle as Men In Blue convincingly beat New Zealand to claim the T20I series. After the ODI series setback, the onus was on Suryakumar Yadav and Co. to restore their glory, and they did it with sheer dominance. India will start their T20 World Cup defence against the USA on February 7.
Sunil Gavaskar Hails India's Depth Ahead of T20 World Cup
Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc in the New Zealand batting order, picking up three wickets on the occasion. Hardik Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi shared two wickets each as India restricted New Zealand to 153 runs in Guwahati. Riding on ABhishek Sharma and Suryakumar's twin half-centuries, the hosts completed the chase in just 10 overs.
While speaking on JioHotstar, Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on India's depth ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“India has complete confidence in themselves. When you have players like Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya batting down the order, and they haven’t even needed to bat in two matches, and India is still winning comfortably, it tells you the kind of caliber this team has. In a 20-over game, if a batter tells himself that he has five or seven overs, he can look to score off almost every ball. It doesn’t always have to be a boundary or a six, it could be a couple of runs, but the idea is to make every ball count. That belief is clearly visible. Even if there is a small stumble, this team knows it can recover, regroup, and continue marching towards victory.”
Tilak Varma Ruled Out Of Last Two T20I Matches Against New Zealand
Tilak Varma’s comeback has been pushed back further, ruling him out of the final two T20I clashes against New Zealand. With the T20 World Cup fast approaching, his absence marks a significant blow for Team India, who are set to begin their title defence against the USA on February 7. BCCI confirmed the player is expected to join the India squad in Mumbai on February 3.
Shreyas Iyer will continue to be Tilak's replacement, and it remains to be seen whether he gets fit in time. for the T20 World Cup.
Published By : Anirban Sarkar
Published On: 26 January 2026 at 15:33 IST