"I feel India will have the home advantage" - Gautam Gambhir on the India-Pakistan clash at the T20 World Cup
Gautam Gambhir has opined that Team India will have the home advantage when they take on Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is scheduled to be played from October 17 to November 14 in the UAE and Oman. India will play their first match against Pakistan in Dubai on October 24.
While previewing the tournament on the Star Sports show Game Plan, Gautam Gambhir pointed out that the Virat Kohli-led side will go into the India-Pakistan clash with the home advantage. He reasoned:
"It is very difficult to predict in the T20 format but if you say Pakistan plays a lot of cricket in the UAE, I feel India will have the home advantage because you would have played one month of the IPL in the UAE."
Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup will also be aware of the conditions in Dubai, having played a lot of international cricket there. However, none of their players will be involved in the IPL and all matches of the second half of the PSL were also staged in Abu Dhabi.
Gautam Gambhir on the IPL being great preparation for Team India
The T20 World Cup 2021 schedule is available here to downalad as pdf.
Gautam Gambhir believes the IPL will allow the Indian cricketers to be better prepared than any international series. He observed:
"At the same time, when you go into the World Cup after playing a tournament of IPL's quality, you are better prepared. If you go after playing a bilateral series, you are not as well prepared as you are after playing the IPL."
The former Indian cricketer signed off by stating that the Indian cricketers are better off playing the IPL rather than a bilateral series against Sri Lanka or South Africa. Gautam Gambhir elaborated:
"The intensity and quality of cricket in the IPL, I feel it is equivalent to any international cricket or even better. Imagine if you go into the World Cup after playing South Africa or Sri Lanka, or after playing the IPL, you will be better prepared by playing the IPL. So, the home advantage will be in India's favor as compared to Pakistan or any other country."
The Indian cricketers will certainly be better acclimatized to the conditions in the UAE. However, they might also be a little weary after playing a grueling IPL post a five-match Test series in England. They will hope that none of their players are ruled out due to injury.