T20 World Cup 2022: "For me, it’s just 30% chance" - Kapil Dev on Team India's chances of reaching semi-finals
India's 1983 ODI World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev feels that the Men in Blue only have a 33 percent chance of making it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022. Rohit Sharma's side have been dealt a tough draw in the Super 12 stage, and it could get even trickier following the results in the preliminary qualification round.
While India's performances in the shortest format since the last edition have been commendable, they have still faced the odd defeat in recent times.
Despite arriving in Australia early to get accustomed to the conditions, Team India have had to alter their plans and combinations slightly due to key players Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah picking up injuries.
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Opining that India's chances of making it into the semi-finals look a little bleak, Kapil said during a promotional event in Lucknow:
“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?"
Kapil continued:
And I am concerned about their making it to the top four, only then anything can be said. For me, it’s just 30 % chance of India making it to the top (last) four.”
India's short stay so far on Australian shores has yielded two wins and a defeat. The Men in Blue won and lost one apiece against Western Australia XI before beating the Aussies in their first official warm-up fixture.
While the spotlight is arguably on the batting and bowling unit ahead of the Super 12 stage, India's chances hugely rely on the performances of all-rounders Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya, who are arguably certain to find a place in the playing XI.
Explaining the importance of having multiple all-rounders in the side, Kapil said:
“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."
An unprecedented injury to Jadeja during the Asia Cup 2022 meant that Team India had to turn their sights towards Axar as a like-to-like replacement. To his credit, the left-arm all-rounder has performed admirably in Jadeja's absence and emerged as a potential option to be explored in the powerplay as well.
"No one ever thought about Yadav being an impact player in the future" - Kapil Dev
Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as one of the most consistent and reliant members in the Indian team since making his international debut last year.
The right-handed batter has excelled across all conditions and situations thrown at him and is a key player for the side.
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Admitting that Team India's batting unit is unimaginable without Suryakumar, Kapil said:
“In fact, no one ever thought about Yadav being an impact player in the future, but he did great with his batting and forced the world to talk about him. Now, we can’t think about India without him."
While the batting unit has thrived with players finding their rhythm at the right time, the same cannot be said for the bowlers. Bumrah's injury was only the first domino to fall as it was followed by Deepak Chahar being ruled out of the tournament as well.
After much deliberation, Mohammed Shami was roped in as Bumrah's replacement with Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur finding a place among the reserves.
Opining that injuries are the biggest hurdles that pacers have to deal with in modern-day cricket, Kapil said:
“He [Shami] is a fine bowler and much would depend on how Rohit uses him. Nowadays injuries are the biggest problem for fast bowlers.”
India will play their second and final official warm-up game on Wednesday, October 19, against New Zealand.
How would you rate India's chances of making it into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022? Let us know what you think.