TimesofIndia.com in Chennai: Moments before entering the stadium, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was following the live stream of West Indies vs South Africa on his phone. The fixture carried a lot of weight, and a West Indies win could have ended India’s campaign before they took the field against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday. The stakes were high and not only the coach, sitting in his usual front seat on the team bus, but the entire group was tracking the developments in Ahmedabad. The Aulakhs were no different and remained an animated bunch in the team hotel as Darshan Singh Aulakh, Arshdeep’s father, didn’t mince his words every time a West Indies batter went big.“My family was in the room and when the West Indies batters were hitting, papa gaali dete the ki kya kar raha hai (father was abusing what are they doing). So I was like, it’s okay, don’t be angry and just enjoy the match and hope South Africa win and we also win our remaining matches. If we play good cricket, the result will take care of itself. Well played to them and thank you to them as well for giving us the chance to decide our result. They played well and now we will try to beat them in the finals,” said Arshdeep Singh in the mixed-zone media interaction.
The West Indies had a terrible start with the bat but bounced back, raising some tension in the Indian camp too. Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd’s late onslaught pushed the total from 83/7 to 176/8, and the late fireworks were enough to keep the Men in Blue glued to the action nearly 2,000 kilometres away. India were in a must-win situation in the Super Eight but they surrendered complete control after an ordinary outing against South Africa, which severely damaged their net run-rate. A West Indies win would have kept them mathematically alive but the required outcome would have been far from reachable. Hardik Pandya also revealed that they were “keeping an eye,” but focus quickly shifted to their own game once the result came in their favour.
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 by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
“We all were keeping an eye. You know, now it’s all about playing good cricket, backing your skill set, you know, kind of absorbing the pressure and making sure that you put the best foot forward. We were keeping the eye, but at the same point of time, once the game got over, we focused on the fact that this is our game. We need to focus on this,” said Hardik after winning the man of the match for his all-round performance vs Zimbabwe.South Africa’s clinical run-chase returned control to their zone, and the focus shifted back to playing good cricket as they walked out in front of a noisy crowd at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Whistles weren’t allowed but the regular chants and self-instructed Mexican waves kept the atmosphere lively while the two teams battled it out in the middle. The chants of “Abhishek ko bowling do,” “Tilak ko bowling do” got noisier when mere formalities were left and even the players engaged with the crowd to keep the spirits high in the stands. Tilak played along and instructed the crowd to ask Surya for bowling, rolling his arm over as a signal too. The mood in the camp seemed good and the confidence from a strong batting performance was reflected in their movements on the field during the defence. The entire group chose to keep things simple and focussed on returning to the brand of cricket they have played in the bilaterals preceding the multi-nation tournament.
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 by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
“After the last game, we just as a team and Gautam sir also said the same thing that whatever the situation, just remind what brand of cricket we played since last year and also the New Zealand series and South Africa series the way we played. So whatever the situation, as individuals, just go out there and smile and enjoy the game. At the same point, just look at the team, what the team needs. “Whenever you just see what the team needs, then you won’t be under pressure. You always look at the situation, how the wicket is going, all these things come into the mind. You won’t see as an individual like I should score runs, all this just goes off from the mind. So that’s what we discussed and as an individual we are just focusing on what the team needs and at the end of the day we have done well,” said Tilak at the post-match presser.Tilak has had starts in the tournament but has lacked fluency, especially intent, in the middle-overs. Because 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 fixtures, his role shifted to that of the bludgeoner in the death overs, and he played his part perfectly. Coming into bat at 172/4 in the 15th over, Tilak combined with his Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya to accumulate 84 runs off just 31 deliveries, ultimately scoring 44 off only 16 deliveries. It wasn’t a role he had played before and his happy to bat wherever the situation and team demands.
Poll
Who do you think was the bigger influence in India’s turnaround against Zimbabwe?
“I always say that whatever team needs, I’m up for it. So I’ve done the same role since the last four years in IPL for the Mumbai Indians, and also I’ve done a few games for the Indian team. So I’m up for it. Whatever the team needs, I’m up. And according to the situation, I can adjust. But as I said before I was just waiting for one innings. So I am really grateful to God for that. The right time it has been given, but I am up for it. I am pretty confident now that going forward I can win the games for the team,” Tilak explained.India’s next fixture against the 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 up to the must-win clash. Thanks to South Africa and then later to a clinical performance with both bat and ball against Zimbabwe.
