Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar lauded Suryakumar Yadav-led India's batting depth after the side took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. India defeated New Zealand by eight wickets in third T20I at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
Sunil Gavaskar on India's T20I domination
The former India captain said that the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand should be viewed as an early warm-up, as India is not taking anything lightly and is preparing in earnest to defend their T20 World Cup title.
"This series is like an appetizer; the main course begins from the 7th of February," Gavaskar said while speaking on JioHoststar show.
"Having won the series, the focus now is on defending the World Cup title. These players are preparing thoroughly.
"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 on India's T20I depth and self-belief
Gavaskar said India’s depth and self-belief were evident in the way they have been winning matches comfortably, even without contributions from the lower order.
"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.
The 76-year-old added that the current batting mindset was perfectly suited to the shortest format.
"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."
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India's T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
India will start their T20 World Cup 2025 campaign against the United States on February 7. The tournament's high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan will take place on February 15 in Colombo.