South Africa, Pakistan and India dominate the day by winning respective group games. Pakistan became the 8th and final team to qualify for the Super 8s earlier in the evening. India, West Indies, South Africa and Zimbabwe make one group in the Super 8s, while Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand and Pakistan make the other.
Tomorrow, we have 3 more group games lined up on Thursday. West Indies vs Italy at Eden Gardens in the morning; Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe in Colombo in the afternoon, and Afghanistan colliding with Canada at Chepauk in the evening.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Ajay Pal Singh, scorer Paras Yadav and statistician Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!
Suryakumar Yadav (India Captain): "(Happy with the effort?) Yes, obviously! We wanted to bat first, we went on to score 190+ and then coming out to bowl, there was a little bit of dew, so it was a little bit challenging for the bowlers, but all in all, at the end of the day, very happy.
(About batting first, is he happy?) Exactly, we might be in a similar kind of situation in the Super 8s. We might be in the same situation the next day, and get a slow start, but all the batters need to understand what the responsibility is, how the wicket is playing in the middle overs, and then later on, we have enough firepower in with Hardik, Shivam Dube, Rinku, Axar or Washi anyone to finish the game nicely.
(On Shivam Dube) Exactly! I think it was due against New Zealand when he played that innings at Vizag. He batted well; he wanted that Man of the Match award, but he couldn't finish it well. But tonight, the way we batted, the way he took pressure off all, it was superb. But tonight, I think the way he batted in the middle overs, took pressure off everyone, and taking it to 190 on this wicket, I think it was a very good score.
(Have India ticked off all the boxes?) I mean, you can't say that we have ticked almost all the boxes, but even if you win, you learn something out of it. And we have learned a few areas. We'll go back to the rooms, have a day off tomorrow, and have a chat on that.
(On having plenty of bowling options) Sometimes it's a good headache to have. How many bowlers do I have? Abhishek Sharma is coming in, then Hardik, Dube. So I have a lot of options in the middle. Whatever it is, on a given day, whatever the wicket demands, I think they can chip in with a few overs.
(On his personal form) I mean, I'm very happy with the way things are moving on. The contribution is almost coming from every single batter. That's what I want, those small, small partnerships. When the game is a little tight, one or two might have a beautiful day, but then we need support from all the batters to get to a good score.
Absolutely!"
Scott Edwards (Netherlands Captain): [Thoughts on the game] Yeah, I thought we started well. I thought a lot of credit to Aryan. He has been sensational for us for a few years now. Yeah, I thought he almost got us a third wicket as well. We felt right in the game for a long way.
[On keeping Indian batters in check] Yeah, we know they have got firepower. To keep them under control for 14-15 overs was sensational. A couple of miss chances and miss executions and players like these will make you pay.
[On change of momentum] Yeah, we knew we had to keep taking wickets throughout. Four down at 16, they had wickets in hand and took down in the last four overs.
[On learnings from the T20 World Cup] I think anytime you come to India you learn a lot. The grounds are smaller, the wickets are small. We were good in patches and we probably just missed key moments in what could have been.
[On not playing to their full potentital] As a group, we pride ourselves to play well in those big moments. When you only have to play four games, you have to make those big moments count."
Shivam Dube (POTM): [On his career-best knock] Yeah, it was a little tough wicket. This is the situation I love to bat. I was in pressure for a while, off-spinner bowled well to me. But I knew I can cover later.
[On the surface] It was skidding and keeping low. One of the ball spun as well. I knew I can hit him but at that time, the situation demanded something else. So, I have to play accordingly.
[On his strike-rate] I try to hit boundaries, I enjoy hitting sixes. If the situation demands and the bowler is good, I have to be ready to hit boundaries as well.
[On using the depth of the crease] Yeah, because I worked on that. I know the bowlers are going to bluff me, they will bowl short and use slower ones so I have to be ready for that.
[On role clarity from the management] Captain and coaches have told me that I have to keep the strike rate high in the middle overs. When I came in today, the situation was such that I could not go after it.
[On his bowling] I am working hard towards my bowling. The results are coming. In T20, you will get hit but you will take wickets as well."
Player of the Match: Shivam Dube
Most Consecutive Wins in ICC White-Ball Tournaments:
17* β India (2024βPresent)
15 β Australia (2006β2007)
14 β Australia (2023β2024)
Most Consecutive Wins in Menβs T20 World Cups:
12* β India (2024-Present)
8 β South Africa (2024)
8 β Australia (2022β2024)
7 β India (2012β2014)
Indian Players with 50+ Runs & A Wicket in a T20 WC Match: