Former Pakistani batsman Ahmed Shehzad dared to call World Cup favourites, India, chokers in the second innings of this upcoming World Cup 2026 and attributed this to the lack of players like Virat Kohli who can take the responsibility of chasing the target on his shoulders.
India came into the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 not only as the defending champions from the previous edition of the World Cup, but also as one of the most successful teams in the shortest format of the game. Under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, the young and new Team India has been invincible in this format.
However, their strong batting unit, which was the epitome of India’s success, has struggled in this World Cup. Placed in the easiest groups with the United States, Namibia, Netherlands and rivals Pakistan, the Indian batsmen could not score at their best.
Cruel attack by Pakistani players on Indian team without Virat Kohli
India is without its two stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the first time in the World Cup and the pressure can already be felt. Run chase master Virat Kohli is being missed the most as India is falling apart under the pressure of the scoreboard.
Former Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Aamir and Ahmed Shehzad have pointed out some major cracks within the Indian unit. Shehzad said, “It will never be easy to fill Virat Kohli’s shoes and the same has happened with India as well.”
He further added, “Chasing runs is never an easy thing; however, Virat Kohli’s run-chasing ability by nature has almost surpassed him. In the presence of Virat Kohli, he never let anyone else feel the pressure as he single-handedly took away the game; that is why he was called the King.”
“Without him, this team doesn’t know how to handle things while chasing. Teams that have players in explosive rhythm often perform well in the first half, but often fail when they have to bat with scoreboard pressure.
Shehzad concluded, “They succumb to such pressure. Moreover, they play with a pack full of all-rounders and hence, getting out against bowlers like Markram puts them under even more pressure.”
Ahmed Shehzad said, “Virat Kohli was the only player in the Indian team who knew how to play and when to play, that’s why he was the best. This current team led by Gambhir? They crumble under pressure, they have no awareness of the game and they are complete chokers.”pic.twitter.com/dnwEfGGe3f
-Salman. (@TsMeSalman) 24 February 2026
Are Indian players really suffocating under the pressure of the scoreboard?
The Indian top order has struggled in this edition of the cup, except for Ishan Kishan, who was named at the top just before the World Cup. Kishan is carrying the load alone, as he did against Pakistan and Namibia.
However, whenever he has failed to step up, India have struggled in the powerplay. The reason for this is the sudden poor form of explosive left-handed opening batsman Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma, the most skilled batsman in the Indian lineup.
The injury suffered ahead of the World Cup seems to have taken away Tilak’s skills as he has failed to build on his innings despite consistent starts. Till the South Africa game, India still managed to find their way with Surya stepping up against the United States, Kishan against Pakistan, Hardik Pandya against Namibia and Shivam Dube against the Netherlands.
However, they do not appear to be the same units for which 300 seemed achievable at one stage. Apart from this, the way the Indian batsmen were trying to score big against South Africa, it became clear that they were facing difficulty in scoring big scores. However, this is the same team that chased down the 200+ score with ease against New Zealand a few weeks ago on the same pitches.
Abhishek Sharma gets his first World Cup run after being out for a duck thrice in the group stage
The left-handed Indian batsman was crowned the No. 1 ICC T20I batsman in the very first year of his international T20 cricket debut. This was not just because of his run scoring, but he earned a reputation as an explosive beast within the powerplay.
Abhishek was the sole reason for India’s early dominance in the game in all scenarios, and he looked to be the most lethal weapon for India in the home World Cup. However, it took four innings for the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman to score his first World Cup run.
Sharma finished with three consecutive ducks in the three group-stage games he played before scoring 15 against South Africa in the last game. His average in four matches in the World Cup is 3.75.
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