Going into the all important T20 World Cup, it is just a no brainer to state that hosts India are among the title contenders. In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, the Indians went all the way down to the finals, only to finish second to the spirited Sri Lankan side in Dhaka. India have always been a strong T20I side, but their recent series loss to South Africa has dampened a few spirits.
Recently at a media event, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan said that India were the favorites to win the T20 World Cup. Khan backed the men in blue and said that the hosts had enough talent to emerge victorious in the grand event. “I am sure India will come out with flying colours. Though the format is T20, it is to be played in the sub-continent. Spin can be a part of it and the ability to play spin well can be an advantage,” Khan said.
Khan also spoke about the impact T20 cricket was having on ODI’s and tests, as the batsmen were willing to take far more risks now as compared to before. “There have been lot of changes which add excitement to the game. There have been a lot of innovations from the batters. On the whole the game has become dynamic. The impact of T20 can be seen in ODIs as well as in Test matches,” Khan said.
The veteran pacer spoke about India’s memorable campaign of the 2011 World Cup and said, “Playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup is special. It’s right up there as in your career you play very few World Cups. Playing in front of the home crowd and winning it in 2011 makes it something special,” he said.