Many cricket experts considered Team India as the favorite to lift the ICC t20 world cup 2021, currently underway in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. But a humiliating 10-wicket loss to Pakistan in their opening game may have forced some to rethink their predictions.
Former English spinner Graeme Swann, however, sees defeat differently. According to him, such a huge loss at the start of the tournament could actually bode well for the Men in Blue. He thinks of the defeat as a wake-up call for the team which might have become complacent as everyone is calling them favourites.
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In a conversation with cricket.com, Swann said, “Sometimes it’s good to tom at the start of a tournament because it feels like a real kick in the back. IPL is being played right now, everyone is saying That India is the favourite, there may be a bit of lethargy in a team. India may take the lead because of this defeat.
Another comment made by Swann was about the feasibility of chasing down a target batting second which is 5 times easier than scoring a total in the T20 format. He believes that when you are chasing in T20s, you know when to take risks and you can pace your innings accordingly. According to him, the Pakistani batsmen did not have to take any risk in the game.
Talking about the Indian innings, Swann highlighted the importance of losing two openers early on. He said that two unbeaten deliveries from Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul won the game for Pakistan.
Shaheen Afridi bowled a yorker to Rohit when he faced the first ball and then bowled a superfast in-swinger to dismiss Rahul in the third over of the match. Despite Virat Kohli’s half-century and Rishabh Pant’s 39, India never really recovered from it.
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India could manage only 151 runs in their 20 overs which Pakistan easily beat by 10 wickets with 13 balls to spare. Mohammad Rizwan scored 79 off 55 balls while captain Babar Azam scored 68 off 52 in Pakistan’s historic first win over India in a World Cup game across all formats.
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