It is more about planning - Sitanshu Kotak highlights India's blueprint with the bat

In T20 cricket, temperament plays a key role in shaping how a team performs in the game. Recently, India has been downright dominant in the shortest format of the game, scoring close to 10 runs an over in almost every match. However, the 2026 T20 World Cup has presented a new challenge to the Men in Blue, with the top-order finding things difficult.

As they gear up for an important and a must-win fixture against Zimbabwe in the Super Eights, India's batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak highlighted the difference between the bilaterals and the ongoing World Cup. Talking in the pre-match press conference, Kotak made it clear that he wants the Indian batters to play freely without holding back.

Kotak said, "In all the bilaterals and all, the batting was really clicking. I think in this World Cup also, the last game was a little concern because in the last year and a half probably, couple of times only we've got less than 150."

Kotak also rounded up the collective factor in cricket, stating, "So I'm not really looking at individual, how many times somebody failed because then we start putting the pressure on the way they bat."

He concluded by stating, "In T20 if you worry too much about temperament and not playing your shots freely. If you worry from ball one that you want to try and be careful and not utilise the powerplay and all. I think most of the time any team does that, they end up scoring below par. So it is more about planning when you want to adapt the condition and the situation. And then how you want to execute. Rather than thinking negative from over one."