"2007 T20 World Cup win is one of the main catalysts for where Indian cricket is today" - Dinesh Karthik
The ICC unveiled the fixtures for the upcoming T20 World Cup on Tuesday. Isa Guha, Dinesh Karthik, and Daren Sammy previewed the announced fixtures for the showpiece event. During the conversation, Dinesh Karthik and Sammy shared their experiences of playing in the T20 World Cup.
When asked about his experience of playing and winning the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, Karthik said:
"It was a tumultuous year for us. We came to West Indies for the 50-over World Cup. We did not have a great one at that. Then the things kind of started going up once the 2007 T20 World Cup happened. It was a fabulous point in international cricket for India, the whole world was watching. It was such a fabulous time, it was a gala time."
Dinesh Karthik continued:
"During that 2007 T20 World Cup, we beat Pakistan in the league stages and ended up playing them again in the final. When you play India against Pakistan in the final, it's always special. So it was just a terrific team and event to be a part of. I feel the 2007 T20 World Cup is one of the main catalysts for where Indian cricket is today."
It is going to be hard work for teams in Group 2 at the Super12 stage: Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik opined that Group 2 was tougher than Group 1 in the Super12 stage. According to Karthik, five Asian teams - India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan - could potentially end up in Group 2 along with the New Zealand team.
Karthik then reasoned that several players from Asian teams have a lot of experience of playing league cricket in Dubai. Due to such factors, he opined that teams need to work harder in Group 2 to qualify for the knock-out stages. Karthik said:
"If Sri Lanka has one bad game and ends up in Group 2, then we could potentially have five proper Asian teams in the same group and through. New Zealand, who are the top-notch team over the last year in T20, they have really done well for themselves in the WTC as well. They consistently find ways to punch above their weight in multi-nation tournaments. "
Dinesh Karthik concluded:
"A lot of people saw the groups and said that Group A is much tougher, but I will tell you when five Asian teams come through and you have a New Zealand there, that is the tougher group. As I said, the IPL would be happening just before that and also a lot of the guys were part of PSL and other leagues, so they have all played at Dubai. It is going to be hard work for teams in Group 2."