Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin questioned Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to bowl first against the West Indies in the virtual quarterfinal clash of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday.
Shai Hope’s team posted a competitive score of 195 runs on the board after they were put into bat. Ashwin reckons India should have batted first and also slammed India’s fielding. India dropped three catches, including two simple chances.
Ashwin said India should look to bat first moving forward in the tournament.
“India were not up to the mark in the field or with the ball or even at the toss. I personally feel that going deeper into the tournament, they should consider batting first. They gave the West Indies a huge chance to put a score up. The West Indies do not have MVPs in their bowling. If they had someone like Narine or Badree, this would have been a completely different game. India were a little underimpressive with the ball. But top class with the bat,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
India has dropped 13 catches in the ongoing tournament and their catching efficiency is the second-worst in the competition.
“We cannot lie to ourselves. We have not qualified easily. I was the most scared before this game, honestly. When you get to the semifinals, you can tell yourself you played well and got there. But in the group stage game, against the West Indies, who have won just two T20 series in the last two years, India were under more pressure. But now it looks like they have all bases covered. Just go out there and enjoy yourself,” he expressed.
The former off-spinner rated India as favorites against England in the semifinal clash.
“I am putting my neck on the block, I will say it openly. I think India are favorites now by a big margin. People may say England have a good chance at the Wankhede, but if the ball holds onto the pitch, they will struggle against India’s spin. In the last bilateral, they were simply not picking Varun. I am not sure they can get it absolutely right. The game that India had to lose, that blip already came against South Africa. India are heavy favorites going into the knockouts,” he said.
India will take on England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday.
