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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar raised some important concerns for Team India after their batting struggle against USA in their opening match in the T20 World Cup. Although India won the match by 29 runs, the first half of the match, after India were invited to bat first, saw a complete collapse of the batting order as batters like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, and Shivam Dube failed to make an impact.

Despite the woes, skipper Suryakumar Yadav played a crucial knock, scoring an unbeaten 84 runs off 49 balls to propel India set a target of 161 runs for USA to chase. However, following the match, Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that while the hosts did a good job defending 161 runs against USA, an early collapse in the batting order could become a huge problem for them against more experienced teams.

Sunil Gavaskar Highlights Crucial Lessons For Team India

While speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar pointed out that the hosts must be sharper with their batting plans, even with their depth. He pointed out that while batting depth is useful, it should not be used as an excuse for reckless power play, and that against a more seasoned opponent, losing wickets early can damage their World Cup chances.

Sunil Gavaskar shared, "I think 160 wouldn’t have been easy. They defended eventually by a margin of 30 runs, which is a very good margin. So there is plenty to learn, plenty to learn that yes, there is batting depth. But if you’ve got eight batters, and then 9, 10, 11 are your bowlers, and out of those eight batters you lose four wickets in the first 7-8 overs, then you are going to be in trouble, against better teams, against teams who have a lot more experience of playing in World Cups and a lot more experience of T20 cricket."

He further added, "Yes, there is a powerplay of six overs, but you don’t want to lose four wickets in that powerplay because that way you are putting yourself in a spot of bother."

India Set To Face Namibia Next

India will face Namibia next for their T20 World Cup clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on February 12, 2026. Following that, the team will travel to Colombo, adhering to the ICC protocols, despite the boycott row.