Former England player Monty Panesar has supported Team India to reach the finals of the marquee event – ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman. Notably, India has not won the T20 World Cup since MS Dhoni-led Team India won the inaugural edition way back in 2007 in South Africa. Monty Panesar, however, said that India will be strong favourites going into the competition as well.
Speaking to the Times of India, Monty Panesar said: “India are going to be strong favorites. They will be entering the tournament as title favorites. I reckon they will be making it to the final for sure.”Virat is aiming for an ICC title win as captain. And he won’t leave this chance easily. This will be his last tournament as T20I captain and he is looking hungry for an ICC title.”
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Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli has announced that he will step down as captain of the T20 format after the mega event as well. However, India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against their arch-rivals Pakistan. While the hype has been high, Monty Panesar believes that if India can dismiss Pakistan captain Babar Azam early, they can easily beat them as well. He again shared that Pakistan will be under pressure considering India’s record against them.
“If India bowlers get rid of Babar Azam early, they can destroy Pakistan like a pack (house) of cards,” Monty Panesar continued. Pakistan are really good on UAE tracks. They have a good bowling lineup with Shaheen Afridi in the side. They have a solid batting lineup with Babar Azam in the side. They have all the basics covered. You just can’t predict Pakistan. Only Pakistan can beat Pakistan,” he added.
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“On their day, they can beat any team in the world. Pakistan are really motivated this time and wouldn’t spare any team. But India will have an upper hand, considering their overall records against Pakistan. Pakistan will be under pressure, not India,” Monty Panesar concluded.
