North India Statesman
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News India Live, Digital Desk: Indian cricket legend and former captain Sunil Gavaskar Has made a scathing attack on the groupings of teams for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Gavaskar believes that the ICC has drafted the tournament in such a way that it not only ensures a high-profile match between India and Pakistan, but also paves the way for both the teams to reach the next round.
Gavaskar’s taunt on the structure of Group-A: “The real war will start later”
India and Pakistan for T20 World Cup 2026 Group-A Has been placed in, where along with them are teams like Namibia, America (USA) and Netherlands. In his latest column written for ‘Sportstar’, Gavaskar clearly said that this group is very light. He wrote, “Like in the recent World Cup, this time too India and Pakistan have not only been placed in the same group so that at least one clash between the traditional rivals is guaranteed, but they have also been deliberately put in an easy group so that they can easily qualify for the next round. Therefore, the real battle of this tournament will start from the next stage (Super 8).”
“Don’t take Pakistan lightly, America can hurt you again”
Giving the example of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Little Master warned that a group that looks easy on paper can prove to be difficult on the field. He reminded that last time Pakistan team was out of the semi-final race after losing to India and America. According to Gavaskar, this time the American team can prove to be even more dangerous because they have Major League Cricket (MLC) is experiencing.
Confidence of ‘Associate’ countries increased due to MLC
Talking about the progress of emerging cricket countries (USA, Netherlands), Gavaskar said that the players of these countries have now lost their ‘fear’ towards the big stars. He wrote, “The best part of these leagues (MLC) is that they remove the fear of big names from the minds of players from emerging countries. Sharing the dressing room with veteran players, watching their preparation and understanding their way of dealing with failure are things that cannot be learned in a university. This experience is taking his individual game forward.”
ICC’s ‘marketing’ formula?
Cricket experts also believe that ICC often keeps India and Pakistan in the same group for the sake of revenue and viewership. However, Gavaskar’s statement has sparked a new debate whether the group stage is really being made ‘safe’ for big countries? Now it remains to be seen whether there is any major upset in Group A or as per Gavaskar’s prediction, India and Pakistan will easily progress.
