Ashwin Phrases Indian Performance ‘Below Par’
India is set to play the Super 8 in T20 World Cup. The defending champions, now set to play against marquee teams like South Africa, the West Indies and Zimbabwe. The veteran player Ravichandan Aswin, so far impressed added that even after India’s below par performance they still managed to accelerate forward. In an recent episode of Ash ki Baat, Ashwin stated, “Surya played a very diligent knock. For the acceleration point, Dube, Hardik, and Rinku were there. They knew they could catch up on the scoring rate.” “But India weren’t extremely good today (vs Netherlands) with the bat, not extremely efficient. But it is such a solid team that even on their ordinary day, they can put you away. They were below par, not at their best. But still, with Varun Chakaravarthy bowling so well, the Netherlands could not pick him. Jasprit Bumrah got swing in the Powerplay and bowled yorkers too.” The veteran further emphasised Tilak Varma’s T20 format stating that the big shot are not always necessary in T20 Cricket. “Tilak Varma is coming back after an injury. We talk about power and strength, but sweet spot and timing are the basic essence of batting. Tilak is not a big power hitter. For him, timing and finding the sweet spot are most important. Please remember, you can play like Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi), but you can also play like Tilak, who relies on timing and picks the gaps,” Ashwin stated. Pakistan sealed their place in the Super Eights after beating Namibia on Wednesday. They advanced from Group A along with India. From Group B, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe moved to the next round. The West Indies and England qualified from Group C, while South Africa and New Zealand progressed from Group D in the 20-team tournament. Australia and New Zealand had already secured automatic qualification as co-hosts of the 2028 event. With the qualification rules in place, all teams that reached the Super Eights including New Zealand and Australia have now officially confirmed their spots for the 2028 tournament.
