CHENNAI, INDIA – FEBRUARY 26: Arshdeep Singh of India celebrates the wicket of Ryan Burle of Zimbabwe during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and Zimbabwe at MA Chidambaram Stadium on February 26, 2026 in India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) TimesofIndia.com in Chennai: Moments before entering the stadium, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was watching the live telecast of the West Indies vs. South Africa. The match carried a lot of weight and a win in the West Indies could end India’s campaign before they take the field against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday. The stakes were high and not just the coach, who sat in his usual front seat in the team bus, but the entire group was watching the developments in Ahmedabad. The Aulakhs were no different and remained an animated bunch at the team hotel as Darshan Singh Aulakh, Arshdeep’s father, didn’t mince his words every time the West Indies swung.“My family was in the room and when the West Indies batsmen struck, Papa abused me, what are you doing? (father abused what they do). So I thought, it’s fine, don’t be angry and just enjoy the game and hope South Africa win and we win the remaining games. If we play good cricket, the result will take care of itself. They played well and we also thank them for giving us a chance to decide our result. They played well and now we will try to beat them in the final,” Arshdeep Singh said in a media interaction at the mixed zone.
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West Indies got off to a terrible start with the bat but bounced back, raising tension in the Indian camp as well. A late onslaught from Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd took the total from 83/7 to 176/8 and the late fireworks were enough to keep the Men in Blue glued to the action almost 2,000 kilometers away. India were in a must-win situation in the Super Eight but relinquished complete control after an ordinary outing against South Africa, which seriously damaged their clean run. A win in the West Indies would keep them mathematically alive, but the desired result would be far from being achieved. Hardik Pandya also revealed that they were “watching out”, but once the result went in their favour, the focus quickly shifted to their own game.
CHENNAI, INDIA – FEBRUARY 26: Hardik Pandya of India plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and Zimbabwe at MA Chidambaram Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Chennai, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
“We were all paying attention. You know, now it’s all about playing good cricket, supporting your skills, you know, kind of absorbing the pressure and making sure you did your best. We were paying attention, but at the same time, once the game was over, we focused on the fact that this is our game. We have to focus on this,” Hardik said after the all-match win against Zimbabwe.South Africa’s clinical chase brought control back into their zone and the focus shifted back to playing good cricket as they walked out in front of a raucous crowd at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Whistles were not allowed, but regular chants and self-proclaimed Mexican waves kept the atmosphere lively as the two teams battled in the middle. Chants of “Abhishek ko bowling do”, “Tilak ko bowling do” were louder as mere formalities were left behind and even the players joined the crowd to keep the spirits up in the stands. Tilak played and directed the crowd to ask Surya to bowl and also rolled his arm as a sign. The mood in the camp seemed good and the confidence of a strong batting performance was reflected in their movements on the field defensively. The entire group opted to keep it simple and focused on returning to the brand of cricket they had played in the multi-nation pre-tournament bilaterals.
CHENNAI, INDIA – FEBRUARY 26: Tilak Varma of India plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and Zimbabwe at MA Chidambaram Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Chennai, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
“After the last match, we as a team and Mr. Gautam also said the same thing, whatever the situation, just remember the brand of cricket we played from last year and also the New Zealand series and the South Africa series, how we played. So whatever the situation is, as individuals just go out and smile and enjoy the game. At the same point, just look at the team, what the team needs.” “Whenever you see what the team needs, then you’re not under pressure. You always look at the situation, how the wicket is going, all these things come to your mind. You don’t see as an individual, like I should score runs, it all just goes out of the mind. So we discussed that and as an individual we just focus on what the team needs and at the end of the day we did well.”Tilak had starts in the tournament but lacked fluency, especially intent, in the middle breaks. As Sanju Samson moved to the top of the order, Ishan Kishan dropped to No.3, forcing the left-hander to change batting positions and face the challenge of batting at a different number in a completely different situation. From anchoring the previous matches, his role shifted to that of a batsman in the death overs and he played his role perfectly. Tilak was put into bat at 172/4 in the 15th over and teamed up with his Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya to amass 84 runs off just 31 deliveries, eventually producing 44 off just 16 deliveries. It was not a role he had played before and he liked to bat wherever the situation and the team required.
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“I always say whatever the team needs, I’m up for it. So I’ve been doing the same role since the last four years in IPL for Mumbai Indians and I’ve also played a few matches for the Indian team. So I’m up for it. Whatever the team needs, whatever it needs, I’m up there. And according to the situation I can adapt. But like I said before, I was waiting for the right time. God really waited for it. given, but I’m up for it, now I’m pretty sure that I can win for the team in the future matches,” explained Tilak.India’s next match against West Indies at the Eden Gardens is a virtual quarter-final, but the mood in the dressing room and hotel rooms is expected to be relaxed, leading to a must-win clash. Thanks to South Africa and later a clinical performance with both bat and ball against Zimbabwe.
