Scotland might have lost each one of their three games in the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 stage so far, but skipper Kyle Coetzer feels all is not lost and there is a lot to learn for his troops from the big boys of world cricket.
Ahead of the game against India, Coetzer wants his team to play competitive cricket and also learn from the Indian cricketers on how to improve in different aspects of the game.
According to Coetzer, it would be great if someone of Virat Kohli’s stature walks into their dressing room after the game to have a chat with the Scotland players.
"We would, they are excellent ambassadors of the game. We want our guys to speak to them, be it Kohli or Williamson or Rashid Khan. That is the only and best way to learn. We used to be able to do it in the pubs before, but now we cannot," Coetzer said while speaking to ANI.
"The squad will learn from every experience. To get to play against the likes of India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh is just brilliant. It is a good experience playing against the best at the top level. The guys will come away with a lot more life experiences, not just cricket experiences. We are ranked 12th in the world and while some people may talk about the gulf, but I believe it is a good achievement."
The Scotland captain further said it would be special for him to walk out for the toss with his Indian counterpart.
"That game could be one of the biggest, if not the biggest game Scotland have ever played in terms of how large the game is in India and how impactful a lot of the players are.
"Standing next to Virat at the toss will be a special occasion for anyone, not just for me. He is an idol of the game and the stylish manner he scores. Was fortunate to bump into Kane Williamson in the lift so that was an occasion to chat. But with Virat, I have not had that opportunity to have any conversation. We want to play hard and push India on the day, we understand that is a tough challenge, but we have to be realistic and try and be honest to ourselves."
With the addition of two new IPL teams, Kyle Coetzer reckons that the ongoing T20 World Cup can be considered as an audition for the IPL.
"Of course it is. Every opportunity in the world is an opportunity for someone to be seen and find exposure to play in the various tournaments. We have players playing in different tournaments, IPL isn't one we have managed to crack yet, but it will happen one day. It just takes time and so we need to find support to turn players focus solely on cricket," he said.
(With ANI inputs)
