On Wednesday, India wrapped up their group stage with a dominant win over Netherlands, taking their winning streak at T20 World Cups to 12.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri believes the two-time champions, who have an embarrassment of riches in the line-up, may have found their best XI. He believes India will continue with the team that got the better of the Dutch when they begin the Super Eight phase against South Africa on Sunday, February 22.
“I think it will be pretty much the same side because you’ve got depth, you’ve got all bases covered, you’ve got options, you need options,” Shastri told The ICC Review.
“When there’s dew around, you need that extra bowling option. Whether it’s a Shivam Dube, whether it’s Hardik (Pandya) bowling his full quota of overs, whether it’s Tilak Varma who might roll his arm for an over or two, you need those options. I don’t think they’ll tinker with the side. I think the team that played in the last game was a good side.
“I think the positive (for India) is that in every game there’s been someone who stood up. It has been Ishan Kishan, sometimes Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) in the first game. Tilak Varma has played his part. He’s got off to starts but I still think the best of him is still to come. I look at it as a positive that Abhishek Sharma has got three zeros. So, save your best for the important periods in the tournament. Teams will be a little worried that he’s not got runs.”
