The tournament is in Australia in October-November, and as always the team will arrive there as one of the favourites.
The tournament is in Australia in October-November, and as always the team will arrive there as one of the favourites.
One of the consequences of India winning the T20 World Cup in 2007 was the establishment of the IPL. The World Cup was not a tournament India was expected to win, or even participate in because the cricket board thought the format was a joke. Senior players noticed it after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly informed the selectors that they would not be interested in participating.
Within a year, the IPL had arrived, with Brendon McCullum scoring 158 runs in the opening match. The combination of cricket and Bollywood, which was so successful when 50-over cricket was moved to Sharjah in the 1980s, continues to entertain. With IPL, it went a step further with Shah Rukh Khan (among others) becoming the face of one of the team.
fond hope
There was a good hope then that India would become so comfortable with the format they would dominate for years. This was one of the principles on which the tournament was sold to a somewhat skeptical audience.
Yet it should be of some concern that since the win in 2007 when Joginder Sharma bowled that crucial last over against Pakistan and S Sreesanth took the final, India have not won the T20 World Cup. They made it to the final once, in 2014, losing to Sri Lanka, but entered the tournament with more prestige than they had left it.
The discrepancy is not easily explained. One theory is that other domestic T20 tournaments have leveled the playing field, and since all teams have the same information about their rivals, it is hard to create surprises. has become acquainted. The IPL, for its part, is as much a training and familiar ground for other teams as it is for India, although more Indians play in a season than foreigners.
Looking at the current version, from Umran Malik to Ruturaj Gaikwad, and with an array of talented fast bowlers and spinners, that old feeling is bound to come back: Will this be India’s year in the T20 World Cup? The tournament is in Australia in October-November, and as always India will be there as one of the favourites.
Their players, who play just one domestic tournament, the IPL, will be up against many others who have spread their talents in various domestic T20 leagues in different countries – Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England – and This could be a factor.
Many such players have been sacked as mercenaries, hired guns, etc., but clearly the experience has been valuable. The Board of Control for Cricket in India does not allow Indian players to participate in leagues outside the country, fearing it will reduce the value of the IPL and interfere with the international calendar.
It is not always possible to find a balance between wealth creation and national responsibility.
Long Term
Still, 15 years is a long waiting period for a team that claims to be the best T20 league in the world, richer, more competitive and with a bigger audience. Six different countries have won seven tournaments so far (West Indies have won twice). This may point to a level playing field or the inevitable uncertainty of the format as mentioned earlier. Maybe even that the word ‘favourite’ is out of date. Each team must legitimately believe they can win.
The IPL has shown that the talent in the country is both wide and deep. On a given day, any of the seven Indians in the team can become a match winner; Teams that rely on two or three performers are often surprised by an unplayed player to make up the difference. Every bowler seems capable of claiming that crucial wicket, every batsman capable of scoring 25 runs in six balls to swing a match.
It may all boil down to team selection in the end. There was no pressure on the selectors in the first edition of the World T20 in 2007. Now they play an important role. In the longer formats, the selection includes the present and the future – you sometimes choose a young player just to give them a feel for the competition. In the shorter formats it has to be the best team available at any time, with no room for experimentation.
sports awareness
India’s young and budding IPL cricketers displayed a confidence and sporting awareness which reflects well. The batsmen get to the crease knowing what to do, the bowlers know what is expected of them, and the fielding in general has been excellent.
After winning the 50-over World Cup in 1983, India next went on to win in 2011 after six more tournaments. There have been six tournaments since India last won the T20 in 2007.