Twenty overs, ten teams and one champion - the fight begins tonight in India.
The ‘Super 10’ round of ICC T20 World Cup kicks off on Tuesday night in Nagpur, where India will take on New Zealand.
India is in an outstanding form after their consecutive wins in Australia and Bangladesh in the recent T20 games. Indian cricket team has found a balanced squad for the shortest form of cricket and is being termed as the clear favourites to win the tournament.
Virat Kohli, talking about the team's preparations before the first game said: "Its going to be tough tournament but we would like to focus on our strengths."
On the other hand, the New Zealand Cricket Team too is in good form after defeating Pakistan in the T20s and ODIs series at home before coming to India. The team have got one of the better bowling attacks and have a good mix of youth and experience in their squad. Corey Anderson, who scored the fastest ODI hundred for New Zealand, plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and will be a key player for them.
This will be the first match of the Super 10 stage where India (clear favourites to win the tournament) will be facing New Zealand’s strong batting and bowling attack. It will also be their first tournament after Brendon McCullum’s retirement.
Stars to watch out: India: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Jasprit Bumrah New Zealand: Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor and Colin Munro
Here’s a sneak peek into the teams competing in this tournament:
Group 1
Sri Lanka: For the defending champions of T20 World Cup, recent performances do not give much hope. After winning the trophy in 2014, Sri Lankan cricket has gone through a rough patch, managing to win just four of the 14 matches it played. The team’s main hopes are in the pace bowling department led by Lasit Malinga.
West Indies: It is the only team in the world which remains a strong contender in T20 cricket despite failing poorly in all other forms of the game. The 2012 champions have played only two T20 internationals in the past 12 months, which makes it harder to predict them as a team. Players like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo have played 82 and 91 Indian Premier League matches respectively, which give them enormous confidence on the Indian soil.
South Africa: Cricket pundits have named South Africa as one of the favourites in this tournament. The team captained by Faf du Plesis is in all means a well-balanced one, with a deep batting lineup that includes AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, David Miller and du Plessis and bowlers like Dayle Steyn.
England: England is another former champion in T20 World Cup. Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and captain Eoin Morgan come as the strongest hitters of cricket ball. However, playing conditions in India is always a challenge to the English cricketers, and the young team’s lack of experience on these kind of pitches will be the main hurdle.
Afghanistan: Afghanistan reached the Super 10 after crushing Zimbabwe, Scotland and Hong Kong in the group stage. With former internationals like Inzamam Ul Haq and Manoj Prabhakar as coaches, the team has showed a confident performance in the group stage of the tournament. The team, inspired by the batting performances of captain Asghar Stanikzai, Mohammed Shahzad and Mohammed Nabi, and the pace attack of Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran, is capable of making some upsets in the group.
Group 2
India: Recent performances give an extra advantage to the home side. In the 11 T20 international games they played in 2016, India has lost only one. Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and captain M.S.Dhoni have shown exemplary batting performance in the recent times. Along with experienced Ashish Nehra and R Ashwin, youngsters like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah give an extra edge to the bowling line up.
Australia: Five time world champions in ODIs and the number one ranked test side, Australia is another strong contender in the title chase. This is the only trophy missing from Australia’s cabinet. With David Warner and Aaron Finch at the top, captain Steve Smith and Glen Maxwell in the middle order and a batsman like James Faulkner as a finisher, Australian batting line up has every right to be super confident.
Pakistan: The world T20 champion in 2009 comes as the most unpredictable team in the tournament. Recently Pakistan has lost series to England and New Zealand and could not reach the finals of Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Along with captain Shahid Afridi’s experience with 94 T20 games under his cap, the talents of batsmen like Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal will be the key to Pakistani success.
New Zealand: It is a new phase in New Zealand cricket after the retirement of their most prolific captain Brendon McCullum. But, the presence of many all-rounders like Corey Anderson, Grant Elliot, Mitchell Saunter and Nathan McCullum make them a strong side. Experienced Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor add strength to the batting. Bowlers like Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Nathan McCullum become crucial in the team’s performance.
Bangladesh: In the recently held Asia Cup T20, Bangla Tigers reached final after defeating Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The mix of experience and new blood will be the strength of the team. Players like Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahman and captain Mashrafe Mortaza bring experience to the side while young bloods like Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman show courage to take on the big names in international cricket. Definitely, Bangladesh is a team to watch in this World Cup.
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