As soon as any continental or global competition starts, everyone looks for favourites. The work of 'astrologer' is usually done by the former. The ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia is no exception. As Sachin Tendulkar announced before the actual fight started, which four teams will play the semi-finals.
The 'real fight' refers to the Super Twelve episode itself. However, this year's World Cup in the first phase of the accumulation of latex! Many did not even think that Asia's best Sri Lanka or Scotland, the record two-time world champion West Indies, would be defeated by Namibia.
Call it a surprise or an accident - many people are shaking after those two matches. Began to understand that although the length of the game is short, no team is small.
However, Tendulkar feels that no team playing in the first round can go to the semi-finals.
He believes that the current champion host Australia, 2009 champion Pakistan and 2010 champion England will play in the last four with his country India. "My top four teams are India, Pakistan, Australia and England," the 49-year-old legend told Indian media outlet Sportster.
In 2007, India won the inaugural tournament. A relatively young team led by Mahendra Dhoni stunned the world by winning the title. Due to that success, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was invented.
The tournament, full of glitter and money, has tested the nerves of cricketers for a decade and a half. India has also got several T20 specialists. But the silver trophy was never touched again. But Tendulkar wants his successors to regret 15 years, 'Champion! Of course I want India to be champions.'
After the Dhoni era, India has also passed the Virat Kohli chapter. Now Rohit Sharma's son-in-law. Time will tell if the most successful captain in IPL history can make 1.4 billion Indians proud once again.
However, Tendulkar is well aware that the job will not be easy in Australian conditions without the two 'trump cards' Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, who were injured. That's why one of the best batsmen of all time, 'New Zealand's dark horse', is not ruling out the possibility of New Zealand-South Africa.
Because, they know about this condition. Apart from that, conditions in South Africa in September-October remain similar. The pitches also seem average. They can enter through the back door and get stuck (bring out matches).'
The Super Twelve phase of the World Cup starts on Saturday. India will start the campaign with arch-rival Pakistan match in Melbourne the next day. Bangladesh is also in their group.
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