The biggest party in the cricket world kicks off with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup beginning in India and Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Two-time winners India will look to make a hat-trick of titles, a feat that has not been achieved so far. No team has been able to defend its title successfully — not even on home ground.
But the Suryakumar Yadav-led team seems set to create history. India have been the most successful side with a 51-8 win-loss record in T20Is since October 2023. India have won all their nine bilateral series in the run-up to this biennial tournament.
Experts say the competition against India is ridiculously lop-sided; critics agree that this India team is better than the one which won the title in 2024.
In-form India playing in home conditions make them the overwhelming tournament favourites ahead of South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged that there will be pressure of playing in front of the home crowd but it is an opportunity very few players get in their lifetime. “I have shared my experiences of the 2023 ODI World Cup with the players before adding that ‘yes, there will be pressure playing in front of the home crowd but if you see the positive side, there will be lots of cheers and encouragement’. They (fans) have seen us play a certain brand of cricket for the last two years. I have told the boys, ‘let’s entertain and give them a good time’,” he said.
The 10th edition of this biennial tournament has 20 teams from as far as Americas, Europe, Australia, Middle East, and Africa. Italy makes an appearance for the first time after shining in the European qualifiers.
But India’s immediate neighbours Bangladesh and Pakistan have stirred up controversies off the field. Bangladesh have been replaced by Scotland after their refusal to play in India. Pakistan, who were initially uncertain about their participation in the tournament, have boycotted their match against India. They start their campaign against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday.
India play USA
In cricket, India vs USA is a no-brainer. It is only the margin of victory for India that is of importance. But make no mistake, it is a match in which India have everything to lose and USA have everything to win. If India win, they hardly get the credit. If they lose, they will get the brickbats and a blemish on their record.
Suryakumar said there are no weak opponents in the World Cup, even unfamiliar ones like the USA and Namibia. “I don’t see any weak teams. A couple of bowlers or batsmen can do the job. There is no strong or weak team in this format. All are good,” he said.
The USA team comprises of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Saurabh Netrawalkar, Harmeet Singh, Milind Kumar and skipper Monank Patel have played cricket in Mumbai. The pitch at Wankhede Stadium has a reputation of being batting friendly. Dew is likely to make an impact on the game.
