Former Indian World Cup winners Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh had a lively discussion about India’s prospects at the upcoming T20 World Cup. The Indian cricket team has been waiting to win their first ICC Trophy since 2013, and their hopes were dashed once again when they lost the ODI World Cup final at home to Australia.
The T20 World Cup is set to take place in the West Indies and the United States of America in June 2024, after the completion of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The competition is gaining popularity, with 20 teams gearing up for a fiercely competitive battle.
In a commercial where they gave a thumbs-up, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh discussed their favourites to win the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA. Gambhir believes that Afghanistan, Australia, and England are dangerous in those conditions, while Yuvraj thinks South Africa has a good chance to end their ICC title drought, along with Pakistan.
“Afghanistan, in those conditions can be very very dangerous. Australia, because they have got impact players, and England because they play T20 cricket the way it should be played,” Gautam Gambhir said.
“I have a different angle. I think South Africa should win. They have not won a white-ball tournament. The way I saw their progress in the 50-over World Cup and obviously Pakistan who are very dangerous,” Yuvraj Singh said.
“See Pakistan, their fielding is, I saw in the 50-over World Cup, probably the worst in international cricket. They will have to literally pull their socks up if they really want to compete in the T20 format,” Gautam Gambhir added
South Africa hosted the first-ever men’s T20 tournament, which featured 12 teams. The Indian cricket team, led by MS Dhoni, won the tournament after defeating Pakistan by five runs. India finished as runners-up in 2014. The West Indies side became the first team to win the T20 World Cup twice, achieving the feat in 2012 in Sri Lanka, and again in 2016.
We All Know How Much Talent He Has And Kickstarted His International Career – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir thinks that Sanju Samson’s international career has begun with his century in Paarl against South Africa. Gambhir thinks that the Indian wicket-keeper has put pressure on the selectors to pick him for the upcoming series with his excellent performance against the Proteas.
“We all know how much talent he has. Not just us, everyone has talked about it given the kind of innings he has played in the IPL. But today through this knock, somewhere he has kickstarted his international career.
“Before this, he always received sporadic chances – sometimes he would get a game, something he would be left out. But when you score a 100, you not only impress the selectors but even put pressure on them to pick you,” Gautam Gambhir added.
In the series decider, Sanju Samson was promoted to No. 3 and remained calm and composed throughout his innings. The 29-year-old scored his first international century, which comprised six fours and three sixes. The keeper-batter will be looking forward to building on this inning and continuing to score runs for India at the highest level.