India didn't win the opening game against USA convincingly.
India shifted from their usual training session and adapted a different strategy ahead of their second T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Namibia. According to a report by The Times of India, India’s pacers and spinners split into two different nets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, which will host the Namibia fixture.
In the session, Indian bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, bowled with full steam for around two hours and looked to get into as much rhythm as possible. This is a rare occurrence, as the usual idea is to preserve energy by limiting the training and rather use it in the match.
Additionally, the batters plan to be more prudent with their ultra-aggressive approach, something they have unleashed every time in the format over the last two years. With their shot-making not as fluent on slow pitches, they will likely adopt a more cautious approach as the tournament progresses and the surfaces become more tacky, something they are working on ahead of the next encounter.
In the opening game against USA, spinners have had some assistance, with Harmeet Singh also extracting uneven bounce in the first innings. India had also reportedly complained about the nature of the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium to the BCCI, following a scare against USA.
India have obviously not limited their planning to their immediate match against Namibia, for their eyes are already on the marquee clash against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday. In Sri Lanka, the pitch will be trickier than in India so far, so their usual method won’t work.
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In the only T20 World Cup 2026 game played at the R Premadasa Stadium, spinners took 10 wickets at 16.60 runs apiece and conceded only 6.64 runs per over. Even pacers bowled around 36.73% slower balls in the game, suggesting batting won’t be easy and definitely more arduous than on any Indian pitch.
Two more matches will be played on consecutive days at this venue, leading up to the India-Pakistan game, and pitches might further tire if the same track is used for any of these. Pakistan also have the added advantage of playing two matches on similar decks, even if not on the same ground.
Hence, no wonder India have already started to switch their training methods and adopt an unusual approach to counter slow conditions. Both batters and bowlers were expected to do a lot better against USA, but an early eye-opener might not be too bad for an otherwise high-flying unit.
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