AHMEDABAD: India’s path to the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup became clearer on Tuesday after Australia’s shock group stage exit. If Mitchell Marsh’s side advance, they will be in the same Super Eight group as India, South Africa and West Indies. Instead, Sikandar Raza’s Zimbabwe will face India on February 26.
While Australia’s early departure may ease the difficulty, the Indian camp insists it will make little difference. Ahead of Wednesday’s final league game against Netherlands, batting coach Sitamshu Kotak said the team remains focused on defending the title regardless of the opponent.
“Everyone thought Australia could advance and be in our group in the Super Eights. We also knew that was a possibility. But when they lost to Zimbabwe, we realized that Zimbabwe might end up in our group,” Kotak told reporters. “Given the circumstances, we knew the game against Sri Lanka was going to be tough for Australia. I don’t think we would be worried about what happened. Either we play Australia or we play Zimbabwe. Whoever we play, we will try to do our best.” Kotak also gave his full support to Abhishek Sharma, who has struggled in his last two outings. A poor performance in the first game preceded the match against Pakistan.
“He is not in good form. In the last match, he was eliminated in the first round. We will not over-analyze unnecessarily. He has his own plan and knows how he wants to fight,” Kotak said. “T20 is one such format – you can lose your wicket. It doesn’t matter.”
With India about to play the Super Eights against South Africa in Ahmedabad, Kotak stressed the importance of adapting to the conditions. “It will be good to adapt to the conditions here. Looking at the wickets, we may tweak the playing lineup. But the intensity will remain the same,” he said, adding that top pacer Jasprit Bumrah was unlikely to be rested in the Netherlands game. “We will decide later but I don’t think Bumrah will rest.”
Kotak had special praise for Ishan Kishan, whose half-century helped India defeat Pakistan. “We know how capable Kishan is. He is very confident and natural.”