Gavaskar gushes over India''s depth ahead of T20 World Cup

New Delhi, Jan 26 (PTI) The legendary Sunil Gavaskar says the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand should be seen as an early warm-up as India are not taking anything lightly as they prepare in right earnest to defend their T20 World Cup title.

Gavaskar underlined India's depth as the hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series with a scintillating eight-wicket win in Guwahati on Sunday.

"This series is like an appetizer; the main course begins from the 7th of February," Gavaskar said while speaking on JioHoststar show.

"Having won the series, the focus now is on defending the World Cup title. These players are preparing thoroughly.

"Some of them haven’t even had the chance to bat, so they are working on range-hitting, timing, rhythm, bat flow and pick-up. It shows the focus of this team; they are not taking the World Cup lightly and not taking anything for granted." Gavaskar said India’s depth and self-belief were evident in the way they have been winning matches comfortably even without contributions from the lower order.

"India has complete confidence in themselves. When you have players like Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya batting down the order, and they haven’t even needed to bat in two matches, and India is still winning comfortably, it tells you the kind of caliber this team has," he said.

The 76-year-old added that the current batting mindset was perfectly suited to the shortest format.

"In a 20-over game, if a batter tells himself that he has five or seven overs, he can look to score off almost every ball. It doesn’t always have to be a boundary or a six, it could be a couple of runs, but the idea is to make every ball count.

"That belief is clearly visible. Even if there is a small stumble, this team knows it can recover, regroup, and continue marching towards victory." Gavaskar also praised Abhishek Sharma for his explosive half-century in Guwahati which came off just 14 deliveries and stands as the second-fastest by an Indian in T20I cricket, drawing comparisons with Yuvraj Singh.

"I think that kind of a record is very, very hard to beat. Getting to a fifty in just two overs is extremely tough. But what Abhishek Sharma has shown over the last several matches is that he is capable of doing that,” he said.

"He has scored a fifty in 14 deliveries in this match and in 16 deliveries on another, so he keeps getting closer. I think the happiest person will be Yuvraj Singh. Make no mistake about it, that his record has been taken by someone he is mentoring," Gavaskar added.

On skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s form ahead of the World Cup, Gavaskar said the innings at Raipur had arrived at the right moment.

"His knock the other day in Raipur gave him exactly the confidence he needed. He hasn’t been short of form; he’s been short of runs,” he said.

“He has been batting very well in the nets. He’s not struggling there, he’s hitting the ball cleanly and all around the ground. It just wasn’t working for him in matches. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of luck to get going.

"This time, he didn't even need luck. That innings was exactly what he needed," Gavaskar said, adding that the shots played were a clear sign of renewed confidence.

India will begin their title defence with a game against USA on February 7 in Mumbai. PTI APS APS ATK