IPL 2021 has just ended and the much anticipated 2021 T20 World Cup which is set to be hosted in the Arab nations of Oman and Qatar, is knocking at the doors. With less than a week’s time remaining in the Quadrennial ICC tournament, the excitement is at an all time high.
This tournament is set to be particularly special for team India fans as it is the last tournament of Virat Kohli as the captain of the Indian T20 team. Just a month ago, the Indian skipper announced that he will be stepping down from captaincy of the T20 team following the T20 World Cup as he wants to focus on his batting and captaincy of the other two formats.
Former team India player Suresh Raina thus thinks that the players should give it their all this time to win the trophy for Virat Kohli and give him a fitting farewell.
“For India, the message at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is simple — do it for Virat Kohli. It will probably be his last time at this tournament as captain, so it’s very important for him to make everyone believe we can do it and for us to get behind him,” wrote Raina in his column for the ICC.
“India fans can’t wait for the T20 World Cup to start for this reason. We have the players, we have the momentum — we just need to go out there and execute now. All of our players have just played the Indian Premier League in the UAE and they have played themselves into top form with eight or nine games in this environment,” added Raina.
“This (IPL) gives India an edge on all other teams and makes them one of the big favourites to win the T20 World Cup in my opinion. The conditions in UAE are very similar to what we play in India and also in Pakistan. It’s a good opportunity for the Asian teams to come and play their natural game.”
“We need to remember there are lots of other good teams in the tournament. Pakistan, Australia and England also look very good, and anything can happen in T20 cricket,” he said.
Virat Kohli might have had much successes as the captain of Team India in terms of breaking many records but when it comes to winning ICC tournaments, luck has never favoured him. This T20 World Cup will be his last chance to change that.
“For me, the key to success for India’s batting lies in the top three. Rohit Sharma is a gun player — he has a brilliant record at ICC events in the past and had a great IPL. We need Rohit, KL Rahul, and Virat to bat through to 15 overs and lay the platform. They can set the momentum for the India team by doing this,” he opined.
“There are lots of electric combinations in the middle order and obviously Rishabh Pant is going to play a key role there. Hardik Pandya is also very capable as a power hitter. But if the top three are still there at that stage of the innings, there is no target that India can’t chase.”
Suresh Raina makes big Statment on Virat Kohli
