Picture Credit : BCCI
India edged past the USA with a 29-run win in their campaign opener in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, but were in a spot of bother at one point during their batting innings. Sanjay Bangar and Piyush Chawla shared their thoughts on the learnings for the batters and possible changes in India’s playing eleven against Namibia.
Sanjay Bangar informed that Indian batters don’t need to overthink their approach after their match against USA:
“I don’t think Indian batters should overanalyse what happened at Wankhede against the USA, because the approach this Indian batting line-up plays with nowadays in T20 cricket is obviously fraught with risk. On days like that, when a couple of wickets fall, and you still want to keep going hard, you are bound to lose wickets in clusters. If there is one learning, it is to maybe slow down slightly, but not have too much of a doubt in your approach, because that fearless style has given you a lot of success. Keep backing your abilities and keep playing the way this Indian batting unit has approached T20 cricket over the last 18 months or so.”
Also Read: Abhishek Sharma admitted to hosital ahead of match vs Namibia On Washington Sundar's improved fitness and possible changes in the playing XI: “It’s great news that Washington Sundar is going to join the team, because the Indian management has been patient with him and has a lot of confidence in his abilities. The fact that they persisted with him in the squad despite his unavailability at the start of the tournament shows they want to maintain a similar team combination. If, say for instance, a spin-bowling all-rounder is required, Washington Sundar can certainly come in. But I don’t see him playing in Delhi. I certainly see Jasprit Bumrah making it to the playing eleven, with the in-form Mohammed Siraj the one likely to miss out.” On India’s batting line-up:
“When I look at this Indian batting line-up, it has a great mix of maturity as well as fearlessness. Now, in terms of maturity, you have players who can adjust to the needs of the situation. Tilak Varma bats in that fashion, as do Surya and Hardik. So, if India find themselves in a similar position again, the onus may be on one of those three to steady the innings a little bit, while the batters around them continue to play the way they have been playing. That is something the team and the batting group might discuss going forward.”
Piyush Chawla admitted that dew will be a huge factor in Delhi:
"Dew will be a big factor because Delhi is a bit cooler at the moment, and it definitely plays a big role in evening games. The captain who wins the toss will likely opt to bowl first, because as the game progresses, the dew will set in, making batting easier and conditions more difficult for the bowling unit."
