Success has a way of harming future triumphs, complacency being the obvious adversary here. With the Indian team on a scorching roll since the 2024 World Cup, the Gautam Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav combine needs to guard against overconfidence and that so-called C-factor ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup.

After an unbeaten run in the Asia Cup (7-0), they have beaten Australia, South Africa and New Zealand along the way. Since January 2025, there have been 20 wins against four losses. And on Wednesday, they promptly, predictably and resoundingly demolished South Africa in the lone warm-up fixture at the DY Patil Stadium.

Inherent perils of being unstoppable aside, India could not have hoped for better preparation for the World Cup. The recent results have created an aura of awe in opposition camps, and the Wednesday night game may just have reasserted that impression.

Last night, India posted 240 batting first and then restricted the opposition to 210 without Jasprit Bumrah in the mix. It was a good outing for all the batters, if not exactly for the bowlers. But India may also have found an answer to the sixth bowling option.

With Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya forming the expected bowling line-up, one or two overs from a sixth bowler would be required. Potentially, those two overs could be make-or-break for the side, and Suryakumar may have found a few options from the encounter.

Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma, more so the latter, gave the captain some food for thought with their guile and accuracy. Shivam Dube, the normally preferred choice of the team management, went for 57 in his four overs. But then, the surface was too innocuous for a bowler's liking. Anrich Nortje, the specialist bowler and 20 kmph faster, went for as many runs in one fewer over.

"We'll talk about areas we can bowl to batters and how we can plan better. But on this wicket, I think we did a pretty good job. It wasn't easy, and we didn't give away too many sixes. Overall, it was a solid bowling effort, though we'll sit down and discuss how we can improve further," Ishan Kishan said post-match.

Managing dew was another area the team needed to get accustomed to, as it could be a game-changing factor during the World Cup. Whether the Indian team has handled the wet ball deftly remains debatable, but they have at least given themselves exposure to the potential danger zone ahead of the tournament. Suryakumar chose to bat first - in this game as well as the fifth T20I against New Zealand a few days back - only to understand how serious a factor dew can be over the next month.

There were a few other takeaways from the fixture - that Chakaravarthy has emerged as the preferred spinner over Kuldeep Yadav, and that Ishan Kishan has displaced Sanju Samson from the top order. Ishan batted at No. 3 in the just-concluded series against New Zealand, but last night he adjusted to the opener's role perfectly.

His 20-ball 53 was a treat, particularly the confidence with which he smashed six of his seven sixes. So confident was he in his execution that he did not hesitate to play the shot even though a fielder was posted at the boundary. "I think it's about staying in the present, watching the ball and playing the shots that are required at that point in time. I'm not putting too much thought or effort into it. I'm just reacting, watching the ball, and playing accordingly, and that seems to be working well for me," Ishan explained.

Tilak looked fluent too, back in the thick of things at No. 3 having missing the New Zealand series after a lower abdominal surgery. He struck a brisk 19-ball 45 against South Africa, having also featured in the earlier warm-up match for India A against the USA in which he scored 38 off 24.

Hardik Pandya is clearly the fulcrum of the side, his power hits and 140-kmph pace adding much-desired heft to both batting and bowling. But India would hope he comes through unscathed, given his otherwise vulnerable fitness record. Unlikely as it may be, Dube would be required to step up in the event of an issue with Pandya's fitness, and that would be a big challenge for the entire side, not just for Dube.

With the batting going the way it is, any target looks achievable, and the side is also capable of setting a steep target for the opposition. The rest is all about having adaptability and contingency plans for the knockout matches. The team looks prepared.