NEW DELHI: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday threw his weight behind the Indian team’s aggressive batting approach in the T20 World Cup, saying top-order batters such as Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma should not dial down their attacking instincts even on tricky, two-paced pitches.

India were reduced to 77 for six after going hard from the outset before clawing their way back to a competitive total in their tournament opener against the USA, a trend Ganguly said is an unavoidable consequence of modern-day T20 cricket.

"That's what T20 cricket is — you have to keep hitting. They are very good players and they have been doing this for a long period of time. It will happen.

"There will be some games where they miss out because they are human beings, and when you keep hitting all the time, you will miss," Ganguly said on the sidelines of the Bharat Corporate Premier League (BCPL) Season 4 here.

"This is a very powerful team, a very strong team with balance — bowling, batting, spin bowling, fielding. As the World Cup goes on, they will get better because once you get into the tournament, the rhythm comes back. I consider India as favourites, and they will be a very hard side to beat."

India’s numbers underline the effectiveness of that approach. Since 2023, they have crossed the 200-run mark 20 times in T20 cricket, scoring at 9.69 runs per over and striking a six every 10.99 balls — the best among teams in the competition.

Recent chases of 153 in 10 overs and 208 in 15 overs against New Zealand further highlighted how rapidly India can change gears.

Suryakumar a proven match-winner

Ganguly also reserved special praise for captain Suryakumar Yadav, calling him a genuine match-winner capable of taking the game away on any given day.

"He came into this tournament with a lot of runs against New Zealand... I think he is a champion T20 player. The way he hits it to different parts of the ground is unbelievable."

"This is such a team where somebody will stand up on any given day, and as I said, all of them can take the game away," Ganguly said.

Zaheer on Bumrah, Arshdeep and squad depth

India were without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah against the USA due to a stomach upset, but former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan felt the side showed its depth by responding well to the situation.

"Bumrah not being there was obviously a concern that everyone must have been thinking about, but (Mohammad) Siraj stepped up. That is something which is important as a team, a guy who has not been part of the squad getting a call-up and responding in that manner," Zaheer said.

Asked about Bumrah’s usage, including whether he should be deployed for three overs in the powerplay, Zaheer suggested a more balanced approach through the innings.

"I think they have experimented with that, and that is a good question. Bumrah has been doing the bulk of the workload in terms of creating impact. You can use him any which way you like, but you have to look at the whole set-up. I think he is better off at the back end of the innings, and that is something you will see going forward."

Zaheer also backed Arshdeep Singh’s continued growth, saying the left-arm pacer has the skill set to keep evolving.

"Arshdeep, as you mentioned, has been phenomenal. Swing is his strength. He has variations and is developing very well as far as I am concerned. It's about making use of the opportunities."

Ganguly also expressed surprise over Pakistan’s decision to withdraw from a World Cup fixture, stressing that every match carries weight in a global tournament.

"I'm really surprised with Pakistan backing out of the World Cup. You come to a World Cup to win it, and every point is important. You can't lose points in a World Cup, so I'm a little surprised — but that's the decision they're taking," he said.

Pakistan’s government had announced that the team would not take the field for the February 15 clash in Colombo while continuing to play the remainder of the tournament.

Earlier, Zaheer highlighted the growing appeal of the Bharat Corporate Premier League.

"It is a very good platform. I think for those who are in love with cricket but get busy with life, an opportunity like this can be very inspirational," he said.

(With PTI Inputs)