After pulsating encounters in the qualifiers, we have finally had the four teams to enter the Super 12 stages. While Sri Lanka and The Netherlands have qualified for group A, the likes of Zimbabwe and Ireland have entered group b alongside India. Does that mean good news? Since India will now have ‘weaker’ opponents against whom they can make up for a potential loss to Pakistan or South Africa.
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When asked about his opinion, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said India’s group is certainly looking ‘a lot better.’ He opined having the likes of West Indies or Sri Lanka would have raised the temperature.
“I think it’s looking a lot better. A lot better because if Sri Lanka or the West Indies had qualified to be in India’s group, they would have been the ‘banana peel’ opponents. Sri Lanka after having won the Asia Cup would have been high on confidence. And with the West Indies when they turn up there is no surprise. You know, these two teams coming in India’s group is a big plus as far as India is concerned,” he told Sports Today.
“Even if India win four of the matches of the five they are playing in Super 12, so even if they lose one match to Pakistan or South Africa, then they still qualify.”
“And playing Netherlands and Zimbabwe give them a much better opportunity than say West Indies or Sri Lanka,” he said.
India will take on Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener after which they will be up against South Africa on October 30 in Perth. West Indies became the first big team to get knocked out in the T20 World Cup 2022 after they were beaten by Ireland.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Interesting Super 12s Format Pits Heavyweights Against Each Other
Coming back to India vs Pakistan, weather continues to play spoilsport. In the past couple of days, News18 Cricketnext has been reporting about the abundance of rain on the match day, i.e., October 23, Sunday. It’s pretty concerning that the weather conditions are no better even a day before the India vs Pakistan clash at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
According to the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology, there has been 4.2 mm of rain on Saturday since 9 am local time. In addition, a minor flood warning has also been issued, starting from Saturday, October 22, 11:57 am (AEDT) till Sunday, October 23, 11:57 am (AEDT).
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