Former cricketers Scott Styris and Shane Watson have spoken about Team India’s chances in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. India has been clubbed in Group A with Ireland, the USA, Canada, and arch-rivals Pakistan.
India will open its tournament on June 5 against Ireland, before their mega blockbuster match against Pakistan on June 9. India will play three of its Group A matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Ground while playing Canada in Florida.
While recognizing the talent within the India squad, Scott Styris highlighted their weaknesses when discussing his top five favorite teams in the tournament.
“I think there are probably four or maybe five (favorites) at any given time if they all find their form. South Africa looks quite good coming in. The conditions will be very interesting, it can be the determining factor. India has got a lot of talent, but they have holes as well.
They don’t field well. The balance of the team could be a problem. West Indies at home, I think will be good. England and Australia, those two sides could be the x-factors," Styris told JioCinema.
In a separate discussion, former Australian captain Shane Watson voiced his conviction that Indian captain Rohit Sharma can address worries about his form by doing well in the World Cup. Watson compared Rohit to David Warner, who was crowned Player of the Tournament in 2021.
"It took David Warner a few games to get up and running in the T20 World Cup. It wasn’t halfway through the tournament that he turned it on. People talk about how great it is to go into the T20 World Cup with heaps of form, but great players find a way to step up and get things together at the right time. Rohit Sharma knows how to turn it on when he needs to," he said.
While Watson favors his fellow Australians to win the tournament, he acknowledged the potential threat posed by India, depending on the playing conditions.
"I can never get past Australia, they can turn things on when they need to. With India, the way they’ve picked their team, if things come about nicely and their spinners have the impact they think they’ll have in the conditions, there’s no question they can go on a big run," Watson added.
(With inputs from IANS)
