'Play like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi': R Ashwin's bold take as India march into Super 8
Times of India
by TOI SPORTS DESKFebruary 20, 2026
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India has successfully navigated the group stage of the T20 World Cup with impressive consistency, solidifying their status as defending champions. As they prepare for the more challenging Super 8s phase, which includes formidable opponents like South Africa, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe, India’s strength as a team remains undeniable, even on days when their performance isn’t at its peak.
Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted the team’s resilience during an interview on *Ash ki Baat*. While acknowledging that India’s performance against the Netherlands wasn’t flawless, he praised Suryakumar Yadav for his steady innings and noted how Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh stepped up to accelerate the scoring rate at critical moments. Ashwin emphasized that India’s overall strength makes them difficult to beat, even when they are not at their best. He also commended Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling prowess, which kept the Netherlands in check, and noted Jasprit Bumrah’s effective use of swing and yorkers during the Powerplay.
Ashwin further discussed the batting approaches of key players like Tilak Varma, who is returning from an injury. He stressed the importance of timing and placement over brute power in T20 cricket, particularly for batters like Varma, who rely on precision rather than sheer strength. Ashwin’s comments underscored the diversity of styles within India’s batting lineup, noting that players can either emulate Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive
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Originally published on Times of India on 2/20/2026