India have started their preparation for the T20 World Cup in style as they beat Australia by 6 runs yesterday.
They are now gearing up for the New Zealand challenge tomorrow in Brisbane.
Former India batter, Suresh Raina has recently commented that if India are able to get the better of Pakistan in the opening game, then they are the winners of the T20 World Cup.
Says Raina,
Definitely, if we win the opening game against Pakistan, we will win the World Cup.
When asked as to what are the chances of India winning the tournament, Raina said,
The team is doing well right now. Shami has replaced Bumrah, it will give the side a bit of X-factor. We have Arshdeep Singh, Suryakumar Yadav. Everyone is in good form, Virat Kohli is looking really good. Rohit Sharma is a very good leader, if we win the first match, it will set a good tone for us. Everyone in the country is praying for them and I really want them to win the World Cup.
Mohammed Shami has already given an example of what he can do in tournaments like these. He successfully defended 10 runs by giving away only 4 and India won the game by 6 runs.
Also, Raina gave different comments on different players who have been selected in India’s 15-man squad for the tournament.
Starting with Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik, Raina said,
Dinesh Karthik has been in good form and he has given good performances. But if Rishabh Pant is there in the side, it provides you with that X-factor because he is a left-handed batter. We saw how Gautam Gambhir performed in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Yuvraj Singh had six 6s. Then in the 2011 World Cup, both of them played a big role. So I think, being a left-handed batter gives you that advantage.
Speaking further, Raina added,
Rishabh knows how to hit 6s from the first ball. If he gets a chance, he will definitely do well.
Additionally, Raina also expressed his comments on opener KL Rahul.
Rahul strikes the ball well in the shortest format of the game as he has a massive strike rate of 140.40. But, still, he has been criticised for not playing up to the mark.
In yesterday’s warm-up game, Rahul scored a quickfire fifty which showed his skills with the bat.
Says Raina,
KL Rahul is one of the best batters as he can control the game. If he scores 40 runs in 30 balls, then also I think he can cover up for it.
Raina finally ended by saying that he will surely miss Ravindra Jadeja because the latter has some electric fielding skills.
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