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Former Indian cricketer and Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar believes that the current Indian team is among the strongest in the world as they gear up for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Ahead of their sole warm-up match for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, most of the Indian players have traveled to the United States’ capital city. While the majority of the team has already commenced their practice sessions, Virat Kohli remains the only player yet to arrive in New York.
This upcoming ICC event holds significant importance for the Indian squad, eager to break their trophy drought. Last year, Rohit Sharma’s team had two prime opportunities to secure an ICC title. Despite the rarity of such occasions, the Indian team failed to capitalize, suffering defeats in both the World Test Championship and the 50-Over World Cup finals, both against the Australian team.
As the Australians aim for an unprecedented ICC trophy treble, the pressure mounts on the Indian team to deliver a strong performance in the T20 World Cup.
Dilip Vengsarkar commented on India’s T20 World Cup squad, expressing his thoughts in alternative terms.
During a recent Sports Journalists award ceremony in Mumbai, Dilip Vengsarkar, serving as the chief guest, shared insights on various topics ranging from India’s prospects in the upcoming World Cup to Australia’s consistent challenge to the Indian team in ICC events.
When questioned about his views on the present Indian squad and its global standing, Vengsarkar affirmed that the current team ranks among the finest internationally. However, he criticized Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, and KL Rahul without specifying reasons, suggesting that the Indian team would benefit from their exclusion.
“The current Indian team, I think, is one of the best in the world, I would say. If you could, you know, put a Gill out or Rahul or Rinku Singh out, I’m sure it’s a very strong team. And I wish them all the success. Because, I think, it’s one of the best in the world at the moment.” – Vengsarkar said at the Sports Journalists meet.
Vengsarkar emphasizes the importance of teams securing robust beginnings during the World Cup.
Dilip Vengsarkar further noted that the initial six overs of powerplay will hold significant importance, not only for the Indian team but for all participating teams. He highlighted the vital role of powerplays, drawing parallels with their importance in the IPL, where batsmen aim to aggressively attack every delivery. Vengsarkar indicated that a similar aggressive approach can be anticipated in this edition of the World Cup.
“The key players would like to play an important role in this T20 World Cup. It’s very difficult to say in this format because everybody is a very important member of the team. But the thing is that, as you have seen in IPL, the first six were very important. How you give a good start in the first six was very important. And of course, in this format, anything can happen.” – Vengsarkar added.