The pressure and poison of the Super Eight, Vengsarkar’s tip, and Gujarat’s heroes

By K.R. Nayar
From Narendra Modi Stadium

Ahmedabad. The most prominent question posed to Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, South African coach Shukri Conrad, and their batter Quinton de Kock revolved around one gripping word—pressure. Undoubtedly, the Super Eight matches are high pressure games. Yadav went to the extent of stating that if there was no pressure, there would not be any fun playing this game. At the same time, players and teams can crack under pressure.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav speaks about pressure. Photo: ICC

It takes a lot of mental strength to play in front of nearly 100,000 people in Ahmedabad. Even the bravest can succumb to the tension. To perform withstanding the deafening roar from the crowd requires nerves of steel. For some, the pressure settles on their shoulders, tightens its grip, and clouds their judgment — and in that moment, courage falters. Only the brave can brush it off and avoid committing a blunder. As Conrad said, the pressure during a bilateral series is hardly anything when compared to that during a World Cup. And in the Super Eight stage, it becomes a full-blown beast because every mistake echoes louder, and the consequences of each act, of every delivery, are measured heavily. Additionally, the expectations of millions make the pressure immeasurable.

Is pressure a poison or power?

For some, pressure can be a poison, and for others, it is power. Those who can transform pressure into power become legends. Responding to my query on tricky pitches during the pre-match press conference, Yadav said: “We are ready to adapt to any sort of wickets. At the end of the day, we have played enough cricket to understand the kind of batting we need to do in the post-powerplay and then take on the game and finish it.” This revealed one important aspect: if under pressure, the pitch may look unpredictable and the bat may feel heavier. It is only when every player has the ability to withstand pressure that the team can rule over an opponent. In fact, Yadav also said that every player has their own way of handling pressure. If a dot ball feels like a failure, then it is poison, but if a dot ball is played on its merit and the next ball is hit for a boundary or six, then it’s not merely the power behind the stroke but the power of the mind too.

South Africa's Quinton De Kock speaks at the press conference. Photo: ICC 

Vengsarkar’s timely tip to youngsters

Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar, while addressing a prize distribution function of the HDFC Bank Parivartan Cup Under-15 tournament at his own academy ground at the Oval Maidan in Churchgate, Mumbai, and referring to teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s decision to skip his Class 10 board exams to prepare for IPL 2026, noted that education is as important as cricket.

Dilip Vengsarkar addresses the budding cricketers. Photo: Vengsarkar Cricket Academy

“A cricketing career is short; but if you are educated, sky is the limit.” What Vengsarkar said is also true with regards handling pressure because education guides us to read and understand the world. It teaches how, when others hear noise, they hear rhythm. One of the voracious readers in the Indian team was Sunil Gavaskar, and the records he broke speak for themselves. Vengsarkar revealed how he missed four Ranji Trophy matches to appear for his B.Com exam and how he once carried his kit bag to the examination hall and flew to Delhi after the exam for the Irani Trophy, where he scored 94 runs against Rest of India. The rest is history, and with three centuries at Lord’s Cricket Ground, he came to be known as the “Lord of Lord’s.”

The image of India's 2024 T20 World Cup team with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo by K.R. Nayar

Bumrah and Patel – the pride of Gujarat

Gujarat’s pride is not hidden—it is celebrated boldly on the walls of the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel stand tall as symbols of excellence. Beneath the grand image of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their individual portraits reflect a state’s admiration for its heroes. Bumrah, born and raised in Ahmedabad, and Patel, hailing from Anand—just 80 kms away—represent dreams shaped on Gujarat’s soil. Anand is known as the Milk Capital of India and is home to Amul, India’s most popular dairy brand. In fact, Amul stands for Anand Milk Union Limited. They had sponsored South Africa during the 2024 T20 World Cup.