Former Indian World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev believes there is only a 30% chance of India making it to the semifinals of the ongoing T20 World Cup. India was knocked out of the previous edition of the T20I showpiece in the Super 12 stage after they had lost their two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand.
However, Rohit Sharma and Co. will be looking to come up with an improved show. India has been in decent form in the recent past and they recently won three-match bilateral series against Australia and South Africa by 2-1.
Kapil Dev feels it will be interesting to note India’s performances and they will boost their chances of winning the tournament if they make it to the last four.
“In T20 cricket, the team winning a match can lose the next… It’s a very difficult to talk about the chances of India winning the World Cup. The issue is can they make it to the top four? And I am concerned about their making it to the top four, only then anything can be said. For me, it’s just a 30% chance of India making it to the top (last) four.”
On the other hand, Kapil Dev believes Hardik Pandya is going to play a crucial role in the team’s success as an all-rounder and he will need to be at his best if India is to go all the way in the tournament.
“What more do you want in the side other than having all-rounders who could win matches for a side not only in the World Cup but in all other matches or events? A cricketer like Hardik Pandya has been quite useful for India,” Kapil Dev said on Tuesday at the sidelines of a promotional event here in Lucknow.
“All-rounders are the key players of any side, and they become the strength of a team. An all-rounder like Hardik gives Rohit Sharma the liberty to make use of the sixth bowler in a match. He is a good batter, bowler and fielder too. Ravindra Jadeja is also a perfect all-rounder for India.”
“Even in our days, we had plenty of all-rounders in the India team,” said Dev.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja was earlier ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a knee injury. Axar Patel has replaced him in the squad and he has done a fine job as a spinner.
India will take on Pakistan at the iconic MCG on Sunday.
