Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir feels Virat Kohli-led Team India should be wary of the Afghanistani side who always fancy pulling off an upset in major ICC tournaments. In a bid to keep their semi-final hopes alive at the ICC World T20 2021, the Kohli-led Team India side will square off against Afghanistan on Wednesday. The hosts are still searching for their first win of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
A lot has been said about Kohli’s Team India after the Men In Blue suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of traditional rivals Pakistan and title contenders New Zealand. Gambhir, who did not mince his words in the wake of India’s dreadful run at the ICC World T20 has explained why it will be wrong to give Afghanistan the ‘minnows’ tag.
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of India’s crucial match with the Mohammad Nabi-led side, Gambhir said that Afghanistan are not pushovers when it comes to playing the shortest format at the highest level. The two-time World Cup winner with MS Dhoni-led Team India also claimed that Afghanistan’s bowling is superior to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“Afghanistan aren’t pushovers. They’ve a better bowling attack than the likes of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh In such a situation when runs are dried up, batters tend to play for their position, which can be extra motivation. Do that and get runs on the board. You try to win first, rather than thinking about the NRR. Once you are in the game, you play according to the situation,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir also talked about the impact of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on players in the lead-up to the showpiece event. Sharing his perspective about India’s poor performance in T20 World Cup, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah had said that the team is suffering ‘bubble fatigue’ amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Several star performers of the team plied their trade in the IPL 2021 before entering the Indian national camp for the T20 World Cup.
“You can’t blame the IPL. If anything goes wrong with Indian cricket, everyone starts pointing fingers towards the IPL. This is wrong. Sometimes, you have to expect that 2-3 teams are playing better cricket than you. The earlier you accept that, the better it will be for you,” Gambhir said.
“You can’t blame the IPL. If anything goes wrong with Indian cricket, everyone starts pointing fingers towards the IPL. This is wrong. Sometimes, you have to expect that 2-3 teams are playing better cricket than you. The earlier you accept that, the better it will be for you,” Gambhir said.
