"I would love to see India vs West Indies in the final of 2021 ICC T20 World Cup" - Dinesh Karthik
Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik has revealed that he would love to witness an encounter between India and the West Indies in the final of the upcoming T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.
The ICC announced the fixtures for the tournament on Tuesday. Dinesh Karthik, Isa Guha, and Daren Sammy previewed the fixtures and disclosed their predictions for the mega tournament.
When asked about his prediction for the winner of the tournament, Dinesh Karthik said:
"I am not going to go all the way to who is going to win, but I will tell you this, I would love to see India vs. West Indies final. I think my second favorite team after India would definitely be West Indies only for the flair of the cricket that they play. I think in this format, they love it, it brings out the best in them, and I would love to see West Indies in the final. Whether I want them to win it, that will depend on the opponent that day. For the moment, I would stick with the India West Indies final, and these are my two favorite teams at the T20 World Cup."
"Once we played a practice match against Pakistan at Oval before a World Cup, and it was sold out" - Dinesh Karthik
Speaking on the rivalry between India and Pakistan, Dinesh Karthik explained the pressure on the Indian team whenever they face their neighbors in a cricket match. He said:
"There is a lot of history and a lot of depth over a period of time. Every time India plays Pakistan, be it bilateral series, be it a multi-national tournament, that is the most-watched match. India has won in every game against Pakistan in World Cups. That is the record we would love to hold on to. There is unbelievable pressure on Team India whenever they walk onto the field to play against Pakistan in World Cup. Once we played a practice match against Pakistan at Oval before a World Cup, and it was sold out. That's the level of competitiveness the teams show."
The wicket-keeper batsman turned commentator felt that New Zealand might edge out Pakistan in the race for the qualification of knockouts from group 2. He then mentioned New Zealand's great record against India in the ICC tournaments and how important it is for India to win against the Kiwis in their group stage fixture.
"I would love to see a Pakistan there, but I do think New Zealand find ways to always punch above their weight. I think they are a pretty well-rounded team, and they have a great leader in Kane Williamson, and a lot of the times a leader makes a difference in a World Cup. This is definitely one thing we will need from Team India(defeat New Zealand in ICC tournaments). If they can beat New Zealand in the group stage, that will give them so much confidence moving forward in the tournament," Karthik added.