"New Zealand has a lot more guts and character than we see on TV" - Sourav Ganguly backs New Zealand to win the 2021 T20 World Cup
Ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup final, Sourav Ganguly backed New Zealand to emerge victoriously. The Kiwis team are all set to face off against their neighbors Australia in the pinnacle clash on Sunday night in Dubai. Both teams are yet to win a T20 World Cup.
Sourav Ganguly put his weight behind the New Zealand side on the eve of the final match. He believed that it might be New Zealand's time to shine in the International cricket arena.
"I feel it is New Zealand's time in world sport. Australia are a great nation, but they have had a tough time for a while, though they have been a great cricketing country. New Zealand has a lot more guts and character than we see on TV. They won the World Test Championship a few months ago. It's a small country but it's got a lot of steel. I have the feeling that it is indeed New Zealand's time," said Ganguly while speaking at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair on Saturday.
New Zealand have been one of the most consistently performing sides over the last decade. They already won the World Test Championship (WTC) earlier this year by defeating India in the final.
It was just a matter of two bad games, Team India will bounce back: Sourav Ganguly
The BCCI president also extended his support to the Indian team after their disappointing campaign at the 2021 T20 World Cup. He opined that the team got knocked out because of two bad games, and it is part and parcel of sport at the highest level.
Ganguly was confident that the Indian team would bounce back strongly in the upcoming series and win many trophies soon. In this regard, Sourav Ganguly said:
"Expectations were undoubtedly very high, but I was happy to see that a majority of the people had the heart to accept the result. They were upset, but they did not overreact. At the end of the day - Bumrah, Shami, Rohit, and Kohli are all human beings. It was just a matter of two bad games. That's 40 overs of bad cricket. They will bounce back, and within a year or so, we will see the same boys lifting trophies."
Team India will return to action next week when they face New Zealand in a 3-match T20I series. Jaipur will host the first match on November 17. Ranchi and Kolkata will host the next two games on November 19 and 21.