297/6. 283/1. 271/5. 247/9. 238/7. 234/2. 231/5.
Seven of the 13 highest totals for India in the T20I format have come under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir. In the last year and a half, India have teased their batting ability time and again, promising a template that would run teams over in global tournaments like the T20 World Cup.
It has not been said in as many words, but those scores mentioned above — that is cricket heritage. It probably sounds better if you read it in the voice of Jose Mourinho. And why wouldn’t it? Under Gambhir, world champions India have not just tried to prove that they are the defenders of the title — they have tried to prove that they are at least five years ahead of the rest of the teams in the world.
Under Gambhir, India have not lost a single T20I series — a record that surely sent shivers down the spine of opposition teams coming into the T20 World Cup. And yet, after teasing fans with Dhurandhar-like action for over a year and a half, India have gone back to sensibility.
Instead of mind-numbing ball-striking, India have reverted to a slower, steadier approach in the T20 World Cup.
In the ongoing edition, India have crossed 200 only once — against associate nation Namibia, who do not really have much experience playing under lights. Against the rest, India’s totals stand at 161/9 (vs USA), 175/7 (vs Pakistan), and 193/6 (vs Netherlands).
IND vs NED T20 WORLD CUP 2026: UPDATES | SCORECARD
So, what has gone wrong for India in the last couple of weeks? Are India under pressure because of the favourites tag? Or are they simply not in rhythm yet in this T20 World Cup?
Let’s try and break it down.
SURYAKUMAR YADAV’S DESPERATION
We need to begin at the very start. Which is Suryakumar Yadav’s form.
Coming into the T20 World Cup, India captain Suryakumar Yadav endured a horrible patch of form. For nearly a year, he was not among the runs in international cricket, but managed to get by because of India’s deep batting line-up and sensational performances from the openers.
Things went slightly upside down when India broke the successful pairing of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson to force in Shubman Gill. That affected the team’s rhythm and made Suryakumar’s struggle stretch longer than expected.
Just before the World Cup, better sense prevailed and Gill was dropped. But by then, the focus was firmly on the woefully out-of-form Indian captain, who had refused to admit that he was struggling with the bat.
Suryakumar had always maintained that he was out of runs, not out of form.
But when push came to shove, Surya changed his batting template.
The number of risky shots in his first 10 balls reduced. He started playing along the ground, getting his eye in, and building his innings. This meant Surya needed time to settle, which in turn reduced India’s volume of runs — albeit giving the side greater stability.
Hence, those lofty totals of 280s and 290s came down slightly.
Veteran Sunil Gavaskar praised this updated template and said that the captain had done the right thing. And one could not agree more.
THE T20 WORLD CUP PITCHES
India’s batting domination largely came on the flatbeds of bilateral series. However, the T20 World Cup wickets have offered seam, spin, and enough assistance for bowlers.
In fact, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya publicly asked for flatter wickets during the World Cup.
“Two back-to-back pitches haven’t been batting-friendly. The wicket was holding a bit today. You just adapt and let your skill-set work. We’d like slightly flatter wickets,” Hardik Pandya said after the Namibia game.
However, there might be logic in the ICC’s curation of pitches for the World Cup. Unlike the Indian Premier League, which is designed to produce batting shootouts, slightly tacky pitches in the World Cup reduce the gap between teams at opposite ends of the spectrum.
On a batting-friendly wicket, USA could never realistically scare India. On a flat track, Zimbabwe stood no chance against Australia.
Good wickets make for good competition. And that is what the ICC wants — lower-ranked teams pushing higher-ranked sides. It makes for better cricket. It makes for better viewership.
OPENING WOES
And now to the most obvious point of all.
Abhishek Sharma’s struggles with the bat have forced the Indian middle order to calculate before hitting their shots. Abhishek has registered three straight ducks in the T20 World Cup, which has perhaps made the batters following him think that swashbuckling might not be the way to go on these pitches.
Even Ishan Kishan’s blistering 77 against Pakistan saw the batter take his time against the spinners. It is perhaps another matter altogether that Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan bowled poorly to him, allowing him to go hammer and tongs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
When the openers do not set the tone, the middle order adjusts. That is natural.
WHAT IS CRICKET HERITAGE?
But the lack of massive scores does not mean that India are batting poorly.
For cricket enthusiasts, totals of 175–180 perhaps make for better competition. It makes for a better watch, especially in a long tournament.
And mind you, India have won two of their matches by huge margins. They beat Namibia by 93 runs in Delhi and Pakistan by 61 runs in Colombo — which shows how superior they were with the bat, even in challenging conditions.
And is that not cricket heritage?
Gautam Gambhir, since taking over, has made Indian batting adaptable. On flat tracks, it has reflected in 290s and 280s. On challenging surfaces, it has translated into 190s and 180s, instead of being restricted to 150s and 160s not too long ago.
Different numbers. Same authority.
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