Former South African batter AB de Villiers is currently in India for his commitments, one of which was to launch the first edition of the Last Man Stands (LMS) India Super League 2023, the world's largest amateur T20 cricket league.
On the sidelines of the launch event, the Proteas great predicted that New Zealand will beat Pakistan in the first semi-final on Wednesday (November 9) at the SCG and make it to the final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 alongside India, who will face England in the second semi-final on November 10.
Even so, he further went on to make the bold prediction that India will beat New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2022 Final on November 13 at the MCG to clinch their second prestigious title.
AB de Villiers told ANI: “India and New Zealand will play the final and I think India will win.”
He also lauded Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav for their fireworks at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. The South Africa legend also expects struggling Rohit Sharma to have a part against England with the bat, as the Indian skipper has not yet crossed the 100-run mark in the tournament.
Notably, Kohli is in red-hot form in the tournament, scoring 246 runs at an average of 123.00, while Suryakumar also showed his class with 225 runs in five matches at an average of 75.00.
De Villiers said, “Everyone is playing well. Suryakumar looks in good form, Virat looks in good form. Rohit has not had his best run, but he will come to the party when it matters the most. He is a fantastic player. The whole batting line-up and team are talented.”
He signed off by saying, “I am looking forward to them having a good game against England, which is their biggest test. If they win the semifinals, they will lift the trophy.”
(With ANI Inputs)
