Banking on India’s batting might, former batting great Sachin Tendulkar is pretty upbeat about the chances of Rohit Sharma’s side to emerge victorious on the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. The 8th edition of the tournament kicked off on Sunday with the preliminary qualifying round, and the Super 12 round will begin on October 22.
The most-awaited clash is once again the India-Pakistan encounter slated for October 23 at the scenic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). India and Pakistan have South Africa, Bangladesh and two other teams from the qualifying round in their group.
Even though last time India failed to reach the semis, and with a largely similar outfit – in fact, a more weakened one in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah – Sachin Tendulkar still feels that India are one of the strongest contenders to lift the trophy that they had failed to do in the past 6 editions.
Sachin Tendulkar rates India chances “very high” in T20 World Cup 2022
Tendulkar asserted that India’s batting is their stronger suit, and the bowling in spite of the absence of the injured Bumrah, looked “balance”.
“We’ve a very good, balanced side. Our batting possibly is the strongest in the tournament; bowling is balanced. Overall, if you assess the team and its chances, then I would say, we have very high chances,” Sachin Tendulkar was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Tendulkar’s and many others’ optimism can be questioned given that India have almost the same batting line-up as they had in their group-stage exit last year in the UAE.
“Failures and successes are going to be part of the journey. It is a capable batting lineup,” the 49-year-old former India opener insisted.
Here are the two groups of the Super 12 round:
Group 1: Australia, New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, A1, B2
Group 2: India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, B1, A2
The top two teams from each group will battle out in the semi-finals for a place in the final, which is slated for October 13 at the iconic MCG. Indian fans will be hoping that India reach that final date and give them a winning moment at the MCG.
