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With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to the T20I fold in the World Cup year, Rahul Dravid‘s Team India will aim to end their long-standing trophy drought in the next big-ticket event. At home, India extended its ICC trophyless run in the 2023 edition of the 50-over World Cup. Recording a perfect ten at the grandest stage, Rohit’s Team India failed to cross the final hurdle as Australia outmuscled the overwhelming favourites in their backyard.
With all roads now leading to the Caribbean and the United States, former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has backed an Indian star to deliver the goods in the next instalment of the T20 World Cup. Pietersen won England’s first T20 World Cup crown when the spectacle was last hosted in the Caribbean. Pietersen-starrer England outclassed arch-rivals Australia in the final of the 2010 World Cup at Barbados.
‘Winning the World Cup in the Caribbean…’
“Winning the World Cup in the Caribbean against Australia in the middle of the Barbados crowd was very special,” Pieterson told The Times of India. For the former Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) superstar, the form of players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 can be a deciding factor for teams assembling a world title-winning squad. The former England batter hinted that India can have an edge over its rivals at the T20 World Cup.
‘World Cup conditions similar to India’
“It’s all about people who will perform at the right time. And that’s going to happen in April and May during the IPL. We’ll see who’s performing the best. The players are good enough to replicate in the World Cup. The conditions are pretty similar to what is here in India actually. There will be very low bounce wickets. It takes some spin, but they are also beautiful wickets,” Pietersen noted.
‘He is the guy’: Pietersen picks standout performer
When asked to name one player who can rule the roost at the T20 World Cup, Pietersen was quick to pick India batter Shubman Gill. “It is Shubman Gill. He is the guy,” the Englishman added. All-format batter Gill finished last season’s IPL as the leading run-getter of the T20 tournament. The Gujarat Titans (GT) star smashed 890 runs in 17 matches. Averaging 59.83, Gill slammed three centuries and four half-centuries for the Gujarat-based franchise. Gill was named GT’s captain for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya joined forces with Rohit at Mumbai Indians (MI). The 24-year-old is set to record his 100th appearance in the cash-rich league next season.
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