Sourav Ganguly has his say about India's chances in T20 World Cup 2021
T20 World Cup 2021: Former India captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly weighed in on India's chances in this T20 World Cup in Dubai.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly said on Friday that India is a strong team and ‘will always be a contender’ for the T20 World Cup title. India lifted the trophy in the first edition of the coveted tournament in 2007, but has since been unable to win the T20 World Cup in five attempts.
In their previous appearance in 2016, India lost to eventual champions West Indies in the semifinals.
"India is a strong team. We have an abundance of talent so we will always be a contender. Obviously, we can't win it every time but we have as much chance of winning this as we had in the first," Ganguly said on 'Salaam Cricket' show on Sports Tak.
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The former Indian captain further added that India need to win big games, referring to the side's loss in the semifinals of the 2019 ODI World Cup.
"We lost to New Zealand in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup so you need to win big games. We are hopeful but you cannot be assured, specifically in a format like T20. But like I said, India will be one of the contenders."
India will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24. Ganguly opened up on his experience of playing against Pakistan and also talked about organizing the high-voltage clash in an administrative capacity.
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"This (India vs Pakistan as the first match of ICC tournament) has happened in the past as well. India started their campaign against Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup, then in the 2017 Champions Trophy as well. From an organizational point of view, it isn't as difficult. When I was the CAB President in 2016, we had organized the India-Pakistan game at the Eden Gardens in the T20 World Cup. It is even more difficult to organize such a match in India because there are huge demands for tickets, and you also have to take care of security and practice arrangements," said Ganguly.
"As a player, I never found it difficult. People on the outside would say that it is a high-pressure game, but I never felt that way," the BCCI President further added.