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Cricket great Sunil Gavaskar praised Tilak Varma for his calm and mature approach after India’s hard-fought win over the USA in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Defending champions India kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a tense 29-run victory. The USA briefly threatened during the chase but were eventually held to 132 for 9.
Sunil Gavaskar on Tilak Varma
While captain Suryakumar Yadav played a match-winning, unbeaten knock of 84 and Mohammed Siraj impressed with figures of 3 for 29, Gavaskar felt Tilak Varma also deserved special mention for handling the pressure well and supporting the innings when India were in a spot of bother.
“Tilak Varma is a very street-smart cricketer. He has been very impressive not just for his batting skills or his range of shots, but for knowing when, how, and where to play them. He showed that against the USA. He came in to bat in the second over after Abhishek Sharma, the team's main aggressor, got out. At that stage, Tilak knew he needed to counter-attack, but without taking big risks,” Gavaskar said while speaking to JioStar.
“He was not being over-aggressive, but took calculated chances. He played a chip shot over mid-on because he knew the fielder was inside the circle. He was not trying to hit a six, just a boundary. Tilak is the kind of player who will stick with you. We saw this in the Asia Cup final too, where he took his time and then exploded at the end. So, if a player like him comes in during the first six overs and is still there by the 14th or 15th over, you can be pretty sure India is close to 200 runs,” the former India captain added.
Sunil Gavaskar on India vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2026 clash
India started the tournament under pressure, with injuries and illness forcing key players out, including Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the opening match. The early batting collapse highlighted some weaknesses, but the team’s recovery helped them secure an important win in what is a closely fought group.
Looking ahead to India’s next match against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Sunil Gavaskar said the team’s balance will largely depend on Bumrah’s fitness going forward.
“The team management will obviously be looking at Jasprit Bumrah's fitness. They might want him to bowl more in the nets before the match. If Bumrah is fit, he will walk back into the team. I do not see any other changes happening. We will have to wait and see if Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh make way for him. Maybe they will rotate between Arshdeep, Bumrah and Siraj to keep all of them fresh for the latter half of the tournament.”
“Batting wise, I do not see changes being made. They will just expect better scores from the batters and they would surely want Abhishek Sharma to play a big, quick innings of 70, 80, or 90 runs. The thing about Abhishek is, when he gets out early in one match, he often scores big in the next game and I feel the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi is in for a treat from his bat when India plays Namibia,” Gavaskar stated.
When and where will India vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2026 clash take place?
The T20 World Cup 2026 clash between India and Namibia will take place on February 12 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
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