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Co-hosts India were humbled by South Africa, losing the Super 8 game by a huge margin of 76 runs. The loss has put a question mark on India’s qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals. Ahead of the Zimbabwe game, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak admits that it was a batting failure but doesn’t plan on dwelling on the defeat, considering it as an aberration.
“During the bilaterals, the batting was clicking. Last game the batting was concerning. I'm not looking at individual failures. We should take the last game in stride, it's the worst game we've played in two years. Openers haven't clicked either. It's fine, I wouldn't stress too much on it. Not really that concerned,” Kotak said in the pre-game press conference on February 25.
Once again, Kotak addressed the concern around opener Abhishek Sharma’s form as he has managed to score just 15 runs from four games, featuring three ducks. He feels that overthinking about an individual will put pressure on the opener which will be counterproductive.
“We have only lost one game, it was a good game for them we didn't bat well. Abhishek looked good in the last game, overthinking about one individual doesn't make sense. It puts too much pressure on them. Our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind,” Kotak said.
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No tension about Tilak’s strike rate
In addition, Kotak was asked about Tilak Varma's dip in form and strike rate. He said that the team management has no issues regarding Tilak's approach, Abhishek's form or the defeat to the Proteas.
“There are no issues with how Tilak is batting. He batted well against Pakistan. For Tilak, it is a matter of two boundaries (on his strike rate). There's no concern about his run-a-ball innings. There is no tension regarding Abhishek, Tilak or even the loss against South Africa,” the 53-year-old added.
Rinku to be available for selection
Kotak also confirmed that Rinku Singh will rejoin the camp on February 25. Rinku had left the camp on February 24 to meet his ailing father who is on life support in a hospital in Greater Noida. The southpaw’s father Khanchand Singh is suffering from Stage 4 liver cancer.
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