Sunil Gavaskar, a former captain of India, has made a significant pronouncement regarding Team India’s chances of winning the current T20 World Cup in Australia.
According to the legendary batter, the current Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, has generated positive buzz about it around the world and is among the favourites to win the prestigious tournament Down Under, despite the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Sunil Gavaskar also emphasised that while Team India hasn’t had much success in international competitions, they’ve maintained their dominance in white-ball cricket and have triumphed in a number of bilateral series against strong opponents like South Africa, Australia, and England.
He believes India would be a difficult team to face at the T20 World Cup in Australia and will have a strong chance of ending their 15-year trophy drought in the prestigious event. The legendary MS Dhoni led India to its most recent T20 World Cup victory in 2007 in South Africa.
“One thing for sure. If the Indian team does not win this T20 World Cup it won’t be for lack of preparation. Not only have they gone to Australia almost three weeks before their first game of the tournament, they are also playing practice games against good sides that should get them ready for the tournament. The old saying, ‘if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail’ will not apply to this Indian team as, apart from these games in Australia, they also played six T20 matches at home and won four out of those to show that they are tuning in nicely for the big event,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Indian newspaper Mid-Day.
India has consistently performed well in white ball bilateral matches, whether at home or abroad, but they have struggled in multilateral competitions. In the past, it has happened because they were late to the event. However, this time around, that isn’t the case, and because of the fantastic combination of youth and experience, there is hope among Indian cricket fans that the Cup will be returning home. Although the other teams have also participated in practise matches, which should serve them well, there is excitement surrounding the Indian team despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Sunil Gavaskar furthermore
It is difficult to label any side as the favourite because the T20 game may change drastically in a matter of deliveries, causing even the best teams to lose. The host nation is also the reigning champion, thus they will undoubtedly have the minor advantage that familiarity with the surroundings and fields give any home team in addition to the support of the fans. The Indian team is fortunate in that its fans applaud it on everywhere it competes, so even when it travels abroad. The great batter said, “That can also be pressure, because what else is international sport, where the best of one country play the best of the other, except pressure and more pressure.
Sunil Gavaskar offered his assessment on Team India’s chances in the T20 World Cup as well as his opinions on the contentious issue of “obstructing the pitch in cricket.”
“Cricket by the way has got a new word in its dictionary, Wadeing. Any player who from now on tries to obstruct the fielder will be guilty of Wadeing. Jos Buttler, the England captain, claimed he was focused on the ball which was up in the air and so didn t see what happened and so didn t appeal. But it should have been the umpires who should have been proactive and sent the batsman packing. Do they wait for an appeal if the batsman is bowled? So why wait for an appeal to be made when clearly the law was flouted. They have the benefit of the TV umpire who can watch the action in slow motion and take a call. One wonders what the media from the old powers had to say about the blatant obstruction? Clearly, they had nothing much to say because it was a match between two old friends, but imagine if it had been an Asia batsman doing what Wade did? All hell would have broken loose and the spirit of cricket phrase would have been bandied about freely,” Sunil Gavaskar stated.
Let s face it, when it comes to a matter of winning every team would do anything to win and not worry about the spirit of cricket. The real spirit of cricket is when batsmen leave the crease when they know they are out, bowlers and fielders don t appeal when they know the batsman isn t out. Fielders don t appeal for a catch they know has bounced before it gets into their hands,” he concluded.
The article India’s T20 World Cup chances as stated by a legendary cricketer first published on ClutchPoints.
