'Everybody Used To Compete...': Former India Star Makes Bold Team India Comparison Amidst T20 World Cup 2026

India started their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7, 2026, and the hosts finished the match in style, winning by 29 runs, despite having a few jittery moments in the 1st innings. While India's first match saw a batting collapse, skipper Suryakumar Yadav came to the rescue and hammered an unbeaten 49-ball 84 run knock to propel his side set a target of 161 runs.

In the 2nd innings, the hosts never gave USA enough time to settle on the crease and build an impactful partnership. With disciplined bowling, the Indian bowlers restricted their opponents to 132 runs at 20 overs, sealing their first win in the 2026 T20 World Cup campaign.

Following the win, former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik compared Team India's T20I side to tennis legend Roger Federer at the peak of his career and explained how everybody in the game was trying to find ways to defeat him.

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Dinesh Karthik Makes Bold Comparison

Notably, India have won 21 of their last 25 T20I matches since the start of last year. Additionally, this makes their streak 41 out of 45 matches since the beginning of 2024. Notably, India is going into this tournament as one of the favorites to lift the trophy and defend their title.

Recently, in an interview with Crickbuzz, Dinesh Karthik was asked about Team India's success in the short-format of the game. While responding to it, Karthik said, "I feel like what Roger Federer was early on in his career. Everybody used to compete to somehow find a way to stop him in the final. India is exactly where Roger Federer was in his peak. That's what we will watch in the next couple of weeks, if something interesting will unfold."

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India To Face Namibia Next

India will face Namibia next in their T20 World Cup campaign on February 12, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Following this match, the hosts will travel to Colombo to face Pakistan, as per ICC protocols, despite boycott calls from the latter.