Ravi Shastri casts his eye on Abhishek Sharma's form, and looks ahead to the T20 World Cup Super 8s

Hello and welcome to the ICC Review, I am Sanchin Aganation and this is a regular cricket podcast where we run through the biggest headlines in the sport with the greatest names in the game. On this episode recorded on the 19th of February 2026, we are in conversation with the former coach of the Indian National side Ravi Shastri to talk about the group stage of this competition and we also look ahead to the super aids of this T20 World Cup. We hope you enjoy. Good morning Ravi, thank you so much for sitting down with us on another edition of the ICC Review, we are almost at the end of the group stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. But let's first talk about that India vs Pakistan clash. Did it feel like a little bit of an anticlimax to you? Do you think that the gulf between the two teams is so wide now that it doesn't really feel like too much of a competition? Yes Sanchin, I think the gap you can see, it's there for everyone to see India is getting more and more confident and they're dominating Pakistan. I thought Pakistan made a big mistake by fielding first because they played into the hands of India on that surface and even though they got an early wicket, I thought the game changer was Ishan Kishan. The way he batted, no praise is too high, it was a special innings. You could see this man is in a rich way in a form, he's played a lot of domestic wicket, the way he played spin was there for everyone to see. And he literally took the game away from Pakistan with a strike rate of 195 when everyone else was around the 120 mark, just showed his class on that surface. I thought where he was smart was in sussing the conditions. On a track where the ball was spinning and stopping, he didn't step out too often. He stayed back in the crease and played from the crease. So he played a lot of the back foot, we played a lot of the poles and the cuts and the sweeps and took the attack to Pakistan. And I thought a couple of blunders from Pakistan in getting Shadab in early when two left handers were batting and also delaying the off spinners who was going to be the surprise packet. Tariq to be delayed that long seventh eighth over where he should have been in very early into the attack made all the difference. And once India went past 160, you knew that Pakistan were going to struggle. Speaking of Ishan Kishan, post that Pakistan match, you were seen chatting to him along with Surik Marjada, Harik Pandey, Ayash Devam, Dubay, any sneak peek inside her look into what the chats might have been. No, I walked up to him straight and I said, this is special innings. I said, you don't know how well you played. This was mind boggling stuff. It wasn't easy for any other batsman. It was as if you were playing on a different pitch and you know keep up the good work because it was special. And the guys went through tough times. He was in and out of the side. He went back to domestic cricket, did the hard yards and literally broke the door down and walked into the side with his performances in the most staccantly. And he played Ranji Trophy as well and took Charkan to a win. So I think it just goes to show when that determination is there to go through the grind. It pays off in the end and it certainly did on that day. All important there when you can become a hero when you get runs against Pakistan. Ravi, there are very few that know this Indian dressing room and the mentality that these boys have as well as you do. Abhishek Sharma now, three outings, three ducks in a row. If you were the head coach at this point, what would you be telling him? I would tell him, just give yourself a little bit of time. You know, don't try and you know, try and justify to anyone the way you've been playing in the past. You're allowed to give yourself that extra four, five balls. You know, just get into your stride because you have all the shots in the book to make up after that. And you know, with a player like him, the day he scores, he wins you the game. You know, he's a match winner. So you know, with match winners, you're bound to get streaks like this where you might not get runs in two or three innings, but you know, he's a two-classy player, not to come good. So I would just leave him alone. I'll tell him back your strengths and give yourself that little bit of extra time. Just like Suria Kumar, you know, when Suria was going through a patch where he was not getting runs in 2025, he came back. He adapted, he changed his mindset in the way he looked at things, didn't try too many of those cute shots too early. You know, was selective in a short making. And then once he got some runs under his bed, you know, the confidence comes back. Absolutely. Ishaankishan, shining at the biggest stage. There was never a doubt about his batting prowess, but by his own admission, he said time off from the game has done him a world of good. What about his batting approach has changed, do you think? I think he's cricket smartness. You know, he was very smart in assessing the conditions that day. You know, didn't step out too often because he knew he could be stranded on that surface. He opted to play more of the back foot, you know, made, played on the minds of the Pakistan bowlers, you know, by playing some audacious sorts, you know, which we all know he's capable of and, you know, put them off their length. They didn't know what hit them. You know, once he took off and he took off with that first shot. That's another thing I told him, you know, that day. I said that first six that you hit of Shahin, you know, just the noise, you know, you were on air doing commentary, just that noise of bat making contact with the ball and it going over midwicket for a big six, you know, that set the tone. India now in the super eights, bigger tests await. If you had to pick out one strength, that will carry them through the stage of the competition and one weakness of this Indian side that oppositions will look to exploit what producer. I wouldn't look for any weaknesses. I would, I would always look at the positives. I think the positives is that, you know, in every game, there's been a someone who stood up, you know, someone knew who stood up. You know, it has been Ishan Kishan, sometimes Suria in the first game, you know, Tillak Varma has played his part. He's got off the starts, but I still think the best of him is still to come. I look at it as a positive that Abhishek Sharma has got three zeros. So, you know, save your best for the, you know, the important periods in the tournament. So, you know, teams will be a little worried that he's not got runs, you know, he might get it on the all important day. Shivam Dubeh, getting runs in the last game. Haritak Pandeyar has played his part, you know, the spinners are doing a good job. So I think India have to, you know, take that self belief and take all those positives with them when they go into that super rate, you know, there's a, I don't think there's a negative bone in this side. There's a lot of self belief and, you know, it's going to be a cracking contest because South Africa, you know, are no pushovers. They'll compete for sure. And it's a repeat of the World Cup final of 2024. So you know, everyone's looking forward to. Absolutely. More often than not, Ravi, mystery spinners are effective only up until the mystery unravels. But this hasn't been the case with Varun Chakravati. Why do you think that is? It is because, you know, he's stuck, he's kept things simple. You know, he's not, you know, experimented too much. He rarely leaves the stumps. You know, the batsman is still trying to pick him and he's enjoying it. And I think he's at his best when he's attacking, you know, not defending. You know, when he's attacking every now and then, you know, there's a change in pace. He is not afraid to toss the ball up at a full length because even from there, even if it deviates from the straight half an inch or little more than that, you know, it's enough to get past the inside edge and go through the gate. And he traps a lot of players like before we could because of the nip he gets off the pitch. So you know, he's a, he's a handful and he's accurate. He doesn't allow you to come down the track to him. The pace at which he balls very rarely can he hit. He hit for a straight six to hit across the line is also not easy because of the variations in length. And I think he's a super confident bowler now. You walked out the trophy last night. You achieved a lot in the sport and your contributions have been massive. But do moments like that still feel special? It does feel special, you know, it's a, it's a world cup. It's a, it's a world cup trophy. You know, I know what I've felt like when I had that, you know, the trophy in 1983, I was the baby of the team. I was 21 years of age and, you know, it's a special feeling at whatever age, you know, how much, how much ever long you've been in the sport. In my case, for enough decades, it still feels special. You know, it's, you know, you get that feeling. You know, it's that adrenaline pumps. When you carry that trophy, you feel like playing. You know, that's the only time, you know, I felt, you know, why not take God here, you know, and be part of this contest. And you know, you've never played T20 cricket. It would have been fun. We spoke to Ricky Ponte, a couple of days ago, and he said that he was getting a lot of messages ribbing him about Australia as exit from the T20 World Cup, especially from his Indian friends. Are you on that list? Yes, very much, you know, because they give you a hard time. These Aussies always give you a hard time. And they, you know, they, they win more often than not. So, you know, when you see an Australian watching the World Cup from some bar and Sydney or Melbourne, you know, it's a, it's a good feeling, you know, with, with still a couple of weeks going in the tournament. That's out of respect, Sanjana, because of how good they are. They're relentless. It's very rarely will you get an Australian side not qualifying for the Super 8. I doubt if it's ever happened. And it just goes to show that when your main players are injured, it does take its toll. Absolutely. But before the tournament started, we chatted to you when you pinned Sri Lanka as being the dark courses for the semi-finals, but they have made it to the Super 8 stage of the competition. How far do you see them going? I think they're playing at home. So they're dangerous. And one thing with a home side, especially Sri Lanka, when they grow in confidence, and they would have grown in confidence with that win against Australia. Because it wasn't an easy chase, but to get that 180 plus runs in just 17.1 overs was an outstanding effort. And everything came good on that day. The bowling was good. The fielding was good. And when I see two coaches there from my staff in there, so in many ways, it feels good as well. You want to encourage your guys. OK, they're coaching Sri Lanka now. And Sanat, who's a vastly experienced, Malinga, vastly experienced. So they've got a formidable support staff as well to back the players. So don't discount them. They're playing at home. And if the pitch is stop and turn, they're going to be dangerous. Though I would say come the Super 8, they would miss someone like Hassaranga. Hassaranga was a quality spinner. He would have been very, very handy in this stage of the tournament. Absolutely. Now for South Africa, they've got four or four wins. Three of those wins have come while playing in M. the Bad. Two of those games have been 7 PM games. So they've got plenty of playing experience in these conditions. Come the 22nd. Will that be a little bit of an advantage for the proteas? 100%. When you're familiar with the ground, you're familiar with the angles, which will be the long boundary, which would be the shorter side. So you know what lends to goal. And they will come well prepared, as would India. But they would come well prepared. The thing to see is the amount of dupe. See, you can make a lot of difference. But Hassar can play a crucial role in games like this. So they've got depth in batting. India have got depth in batting. I think this is a cracking contest. This is two of the strongest teams, one would say. You know, playing in this tournament, playing this game on the 22nd, because you'd have to give them that credit, because they were World Cup finalists last time round. And they're playing to potential at the moment. For India, they have an abundance of all rounders. They've made a change, at least a change each game in the last four matches that they've played this World Cup. Would you see them adding a Sanju Samson into the 11 going into that game against South Africa? I wouldn't think so. I think the side that you saw yesterday will be pretty much the same side, because you've got depth. You've got all bases covered. You've got options. You need options. When there's you around, you need that extra bowling option. Whether it's a Shivam Dubai, whether it's a public bowling school quarter of overs, whether it's the La Kvarmah, who might roll his arm for an over two, you need those options. So I don't think they'll think of with the side, having a team that played in the last game was a good side. If anything, they'd have to decide whether it's akshirt or a horseshoe. And when the top order failed yesterday, Shivam Dubai was the man who got the job done. How much have you seen the growth of his game? And how do you assess how far he's come from where he's coming from? I think he's come a long way, because when you look at the big games, Sanjana, he comes and plays important in it. We saw that in the World Cup final. We saw them. We saw that yesterday. He chips in with that 30, 40. He'll come and take two or three wickets. Even against Pakistan, it was a handy effort for him with bat and ball. So I think he's grown in confidence. There's clarity of thought in the way he goes about his job now, which shows that confidence level is on a high, which is good from India's point of view. And he smashes spin. He gets hold of the spin as he parks them deep into the crowd with he doesn't have to step out. He's got long levers. So it's just one step out in the smack. And we saw the Netherlands really push India last night. How good is it to see the associate nation stepping up on the global stage and doing well with the Olympics right on the horizon? How important is it for the global growth of the game that countries like these are not just participating, but really marking their territory and making a case for, say, the expansion of the game globally? I think nothing better for the ICC than seeing that happen, because you want to spread the game. And the best format to spread the game is T20 cricket. But then you want competition, like you said. So when you see that kind of competition, you see a few upsets happening. It all goes well for the future. And that's why I said, more than anything, the exposure, rubbing shoulders with top international team, playing in front of big crowds, adapting to different conditions, which may be foreign to them, facts in India, which might hold a bit, turn a bit. They will learn from this experience and be better off. Come those Olympic games or come the next World Cup. OK, we've got a fun one for you for a new fan who doesn't understand the fuss behind the India versus South Africa game on Sunday. In true Ravi Shastri style, could you explain why this is going to be a blockbuster evening? For a new fan, first year this. It's the Naranda Modi Stadium. It's the Sanjabad. It's a stadium that holds more than 100,000 people. And it is the finalists of the last World Cup that go heck to heck. In the green corner, it's South Africa. In the blue corner, it's India. And it is going to be a humblinger. Watch out. It's going to be one heck of a contest. It doesn't get much better than that. Awesome. Ravi, wonderful inside is always. We'll see you on Sunday evening now. Pleasure. And that is everything we have for you on this edition of the ICC Review to not forget to follow all of ICC's social channels for the latest updates from the sport. Also, do not forget to follow this podcast on your favorite podcast platform. We'll see you again very soon. (upbeat music)