Former India captain Sourav Ganguly threw his weight behind the national team's high-octane batting strategy at the T20 World Cup on Sunday (February 8, 2026).
He urged top-order stars like Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma to unleash their natural aggression, even on tricky, variable bounce pitches. In their opener against the USA, India gambled by batting first and slumped to 77 for six before clawing back to a fighting total-a risky blueprint Ganguly views as essential to today's fast-paced T20 game.
Sourav Ganguly backs India's Batting
"That's what T20 cricket is - you have to keep hitting. They are very good players, and they have been doing this for a long period of time. It will happen," he said.
"There will be some games where they miss out because they are human beings, and
when you keep hitting all the time, you will miss," Ganguly added from the sidelines of the Bharat Corporate Premier League (BCPL) Season 4 in New Delhi.
He hailed India as a powerhouse squad with seamless balance across batting, bowling, spin, and fielding.
"This is a very powerful team, a very strong team with balance - bowling, batting, spin bowling, fielding. As the World Cup goes on, they will get better because once you get into the tournament, the rhythm comes back. I consider India as favourites, and they will be a very hard side to beat," the former India captain continued.
Ganguly voiced astonishment at Pakistan forfeiting their February 15 Colombo fixture against India, despite playing other games.
"I'm really surprised with Pakistan backing out of the World Cup. You come to a World Cup to win it, and every point is important. You can't lose points in a World Cup, so I'm a little surprised - but that's the decision they're taking," he remarked.
India are scheduled to play Pakistan on February 15 and as per the latest developments, the match's future remains alive amid a fresh meeting between ICC and PCB on Sunday.
