In the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup, India will face South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe, which is being called ‘Group of Death’. Despite being invincible in the group stage, Team India has some big concerns, which can trouble it.
New Delhi: Team India has reached the Super 8 of T20 World Cup 2026, but the journey was a bit shaky. Suryakumar Yadav’s team did not lose a single match in the group stage, but now the real competition of the tournament will begin. There are strong teams like South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe in India’s group. It is also being called ‘Group of Death’. Those who were considering Zimbabwe weak before the tournament have also shown their strength. At the same time, West Indies and South Africa are expert players in this format. The competition will not be easy at all. But before looking at the strengths of others, Team India will have to look at some of its own weaknesses.
Biggest tension – Abhishek Sharma’s form
The biggest concern is the form of world number one T20 batsman Abhishek Sharma. He was out on a golden duck against USA. He returned to the pavilion on the fourth ball against Pakistan and could play only three balls against Netherlands. He has been out on zero five times in the last seven innings. Abhishek, who was expected to become India’s top scorer in the World Cup, could not even open his account in the group stage. Before the Netherlands match, he practiced hard, but the result on the field did not change. However, the coaches believe that he is not ‘out of form’ but ‘out of runs’.
Ishan Kishan’s brilliant batting has so far hidden Abhishek’s failure. Only Pakistan could have given competition to India in the group stage, but it did not happen. Now the case is completely different in Super 8. It is very important for Abhishek to get runs from his bat in the upcoming matches. Even if Abhishek gets out early, Ishaan with his aggressive style does not allow pressure on other batsmen. But the match against Netherlands is an example, where both failed and the team looked in trouble.
Tilak Verma has also increased the temperature of tension
The second concern is the style of play of the team’s star batsman Tilak Verma. Against USA he scored 25 runs in 16 balls. Scored 25 runs in 21 balls against Namibia, 25 runs in 24 balls against Pakistan and 31 runs in 27 balls against Netherlands. In these four matches, this left-handed batsman has scored a total of 106 runs, but his strike rate is only 120. This is the lowest among Indian batsmen who have scored more than 50 runs in the World Cup.
Tilak has not been able to regain his rhythm since his return from injury. Till 2025, his strike rate was 164, which has now come down to just 125. The reason for this is his playing style. He starts slow and scores fast runs later, but this strategy is not working on double-paced pitches. He is trying to play the role of an anchor, but when the time comes to increase the pace of scoring, he loses his wicket.
The third and last big problem is India’s fielding. Indian fielders have dropped 10 catches so far in this World Cup. Ireland (10 catches) is on top in this list and Namibia (6 catches) is right behind India. India is the only strong team among the top 3 teams in this list. If Team India forgets the basic mantra of ‘take the catch, win the match’, then it may have to pay a big price in the Super 8.
However, there are some good things too. Except Tilak and Abhishek, other batsmen have performed well in one match or the other. There is no special concern in bowling. The bowling attack, led by Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah, looks more reliable than the batting. Varun is second in the list of highest wicket takers in the tournament with 9 wickets.