India’s T20 series win is just the appetiser ahead of World Cup: Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar said India’s series win over New Zealand is only an appetiser ahead of the T20 World Cup, praising the team’s depth, confidence and preparation while backing Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav to play key roles.

Hyderabad: Cricketing great Sunil Gavaskar says that India winning the five-match T-20 international series against New Zealand having won the first three is like an appetizer for the forthcoming T-20 World Cup.

Speaking on JioStar’s Amul Cricket Live programme, Gavaskar said the main course would begin from February 7. “Having won the series, the focus now is on defending the World Cup title. These players are preparing thoroughly,” he said.

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“Some of them haven’t even had the chance to bat, so they are working on range-hitting, timing, rhythm, bat flow, and pick-up. It shows the focus of this team; they are not taking the World Cup lightly and not taking anything for granted,” Gavaskar said.

“I think that kind of a record is very, very hard to beat. Getting to a fifty in just two overs is extremely tough. But what Abhishek Sharma has shown over the last several matches is that he is capable of doing that. He has scored a fifty in 14 deliveries in this match and in 16 deliveries on another, so he keeps getting closer,” the former India opener said.

“I think the happiest person will be Yuvraj Singh. Make no mistake about it, that his record has been taken by someone he is mentoring. That’s what happens when your record is broken. You would rather see another Indian take it. When my record of centuries was surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar, yes, there is a small tinge when a record is taken away, no question about that. But who took it? Sachin Tendulkar, another Indian. So, you don’t feel bad about it at all,” he said.

On Suryakumar Yadav’s form ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India and Sri Lanka 2026, Gavaskar said that his knock the other day in Raipur gave him exactly the confidence he needed.

“He hasn’t been short of form; he’s been short of runs. What he has been saying is that he has been batting very well in the nets. He’s not struggling there, he’s hitting the ball cleanly and all around the ground,” he said.

“It just wasn’t working for him in matches. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of luck to get going. This time, he didn’t even need luck. That innings was exactly what he needed. It boosted his confidence, and the shots he played were simply amazing,” Gavaskar said.

On India’s confidence and depth, 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,” he said.

“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,” Gavaskar said.