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The T20 World Cup is underway in Australia and currently, initial group stage is being played from which four sides will qualify for the Super-12 stage. All eyes are on October 23 when India will take on Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Former India batter Suresh Raina spoke to NDTV in an exclusive interview where he talked about India’s chances at the World Cup and how he thinks if India are able to get the better of Pakistan, then they will go on to lift the World Cup.
“Definitely, if we win the opening game against Pakistan, we will win the World Cup,” Raina told NDTV.
Talking about 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 was named as Jasprit Bumrah‘s replacement last week and the ace pacer showed what he is made of as he went on to take three wickets in the final over against Australia in a warm-up match on Monday. Defending 10 runs in the final over, he gave away just four runs and India registered a win by six runs.
“I would not call him a perfect replacement because you cannot replace Jasprit Bumrah or Ravindra Jadeja. They have played consistently for India and they have given performances. But the best option you had, you have selected him. Shami has given good performances, he has been in good form. BCCI have done really well in sending the team to Australia 15 days prior to the tournament. The grounds are big, overall I think the preparation has been nice. We will need to play fearless cricket and show good intent,” said Raina, who is now the India brand ambassador for Booking.com.
When asked about who would he choose between Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant, 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.”
“Rishabh knows how to hit 6s from the first ball. If he gets a chance, he will definitely do well.”
Opening batter KL Rahul has often found himself being criticised for his strike rate in T20s despite striking the ball at 140.40 in international T20s. The right-handed batter showed his skill as he struck a quickfire fifty against Australia in the warm-up match on Monday.
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“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. Between Rohit and Rahul, one will need to go after the bowling. Strike-rate matters in the shortest format and this is why Suryakumar Yadav will be really important in the middle phase. Suryakumar and Virat will play in that period, the grounds are big, so running between the wickets would be important. I think the team is solid and in the end, the intent will be really important,” said Raina.
Talking about Ravindra Jadeja not playing this World Cup, Raina said: “What I will miss the most about him is his fielding. He can be a game-changer in the field, he takes game-changing catches and brings about game-changing run-outs. Hardik Pandya would run at every position. Other teams have gun fielders, we have Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya as good fielders. But what about the rest? On bigger grounds, you need to have a good throwing arm. Fielders make the match, Virat Kohli is a brilliant fielder but Hardik Pandya, the kind of energy he brings to the side, would be really important.”
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