Despite India's dominant group stage performance, former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir predicts they will not reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
The India-Pakistan rivalry may not be on the field right now, but former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has kept it alive off it. He has predicted that India won't make the T20 World Cup semi-finals, despite their dominant group-stage run.
The defending champions march into the Super 8s unbeaten, yet sterner challenges await -- 2024 runners-up South Africa, an aggressive West Indies side, and Zimbabwe stand in their path.
On Haarna Mana Hai show, when the anchor asked Mohammad Amir to pick the two teams from Group A who would reach the semi-finals, he gave a straight, no-nonsense answer.
'South Africa and the West Indies.'
Amir left viewers surprised. He went on to explain, 'If you see their (India) matches, the batting collapsed in all the games, barring the Pakistan contest. The pressure will rise in the Super 8 matches. The way in which South Africa and the West Indies have been playing, they can beat any team.'
The prediction raised eyebrows, especially considering India's dominant run so far. They have dismantled opponents with a blend of discipline and depth, rarely looking rattled.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that is precisely what makes this side dangerous -- their ability to win even when they are not at their best.
'Suryakumar Yadav played a very diligent knock. For the acceleration point, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh were there. They knew they could catch up on the scoring rate. But India weren't extremely good today (vs The Netherlands) with the bat, not extremely efficient. But it is such a solid team that even on their ordinary day, they can put you away.
'They were below par, not at their best. But still, with Varun Chakaravarthy bowling so well, The Netherlands could not pick him. Jasprit Bumrah got swing in the Powerplay and bowled yorkers too,' he said on Ash ki Baat.
Ashwin also pointed to the variety within India's batting approach, singling out Tilak Varma's method as a reminder that T20 cricket isn't only about brute force.
'Tilak Varma is coming back after an injury. We talk about power and strength, but sweet spot and timing are the basic essence of batting. Tilak is not a big power hitter. For him, timing and finding the sweet spot are most important.
'Please remember, you can play like Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi), but you can also play like Tilak, who relies on timing and picks the gaps.'