Having won their first two Group A matches against Ireland and Pakistan, Team India are in a good position to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024, currently being held in the USA and West Indies.
The Men in Blue will next face tournament co-hosts USA at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York on Wednesday (June 12).
Ahead of the match, India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey addressed a press conference, where he emphasized that the team will maintain their intensity and focus against the USA.
In their last match against Pakistan, the Indian bowlers displayed great fighting spirit to defend the small total of 119. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah (3-14) and Hardik Pandya (2-24) stepped up in pressure situations to restrict the arch-rivals to 113/7 in 20 overs.
"There were a couple of them, I thought (but) in a different format. The Test win in South Africa in the last game (Newlands, Cape Town) was phenomenal," Mhambrey said when questioned where did India's bowling show rank for him.
"But if you look at the context of the game, look at the tournament, the pressure, the way to have them handle the pressure, this was definitely very much up there in terms of the performance," he told the reporters.
"In a game like this, especially when you have so much pressure in terms of the high intensity game, obviously a game against Pakistan is always going to be high intensity whatever you say," he said.
Mhambrey acknowledged that India had the potential to aggregate a higher score than what they eventually achieved. However, considering the modest total they had to defend, he highlighted that the sole path to success was to get the best out of each member of the bowling unit.
"It's never going to be a normal game to be able to defend obviously when you're batting you expect in a situation that we were placed nicely to get more runs," the bowling coach said.
"But especially, when that doesn't happen, you're defending low scores and there's only way out there that you bowl at your best," he added.
Mhambrey warned against underestimating any team in the tournament, especially after USA’s win over Pakistan in the Super Over.
"You can't take any game lightly. This is the World Cup. Every game matters. Your rhythm is important. Winning is a habit that you need to get into early. You need to get it early to form the context of the game. Every game is important," he remarked.
The Indian bowling coach acknowledged that the USA team might have an advantage due to their familiarity with the local playing conditions, but he maintained that this factor would not create any significant disparity between the two sides.
"We are used to the conditions like them. We have played enough out here. We know what kind of wicket it is," he said.
Mhambrey expressed confidence in Ravindra Jadeja's batting abilities, stating that the team is not too concerned about his current form with the bat.
"It's a team game, right? It's going to be eleven guys, you really don't expect all of them coming into form," he stated. "It's a long tournament. Someone like Jadeja, who is so vastly experienced, he just needs a game of them to just kick his foot around and feel along and we know that the skills that he has and the experience he's going to go ahead."
"That is the confidence we have and not only on Jadeja but with someone like (Shivam) Dube and others as well," he added.
Mhambrey remains unperturbed by the differing characteristics of pitches and playing conditions between the Caribbean and the United States. The contrasting nature of the wickets and environments in these two regions does not seem to be a major concern for him.
"The good thing is that we have already been to the West Indies. We already had a couple of series out there prior to this," he said.
"We know what kind of conditions you're going to encounter. As the team has so much experience, we will adapt, we know that. We have the skills, we have the temperament and the talent to adapt so I'm really not worried," he further stated.
Mhambrey expressed his delight regarding the remarkable performance of USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar, who previously played for India U-19 and Mumbai.
"(I am) extremely happy. I've watched him play a couple Ranji Trophy games that he played. (It's) great for someone to leave out there, it must be a tough decision," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)