IND vs NAM LIVE – T20 World Cup LIVE: India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun remains optimistic of India’s chances to make the semi-finals as watch on with bated breath as New Zealand take on Afghanistan. Arun revealed that the Men in Blue were rooting for Afghanistan to win on Sunday to ensure their survival in the competition. – Follow T20 World Cup and IND vs NAM LIVE match updates on InsideSport.in
IND vs NAM LIVE: Team India optimistic of semi-final chance, “We’re rooting for Afghanistan to win”, says bowling coach Bharat Arun
Team India bowling coach Bharat Arun revealed that the team were optimistic about their chances to make the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. India awaits the result of the game between New Zealand and Afghanistan, which will eventually decide whether Virat Kohli and Co. remain in contention or not. An Afghanistan win keeps India in the hunt, with the Men in Blue boasting of a better net run rate heading into their final game against Namibia.
Here’s some excerpts from Bharat Arun’s press conference –
On fatigue and whether IPL was a perfect dress rehearsal: These players have been on the road for the past six months, ever since the IPL stopped. Living in bio-bubbles is not easy and it certainly takes a toll. Ideally, a short break between the IPL and T20 World Cup would have been ideal. I am not giving any excuses. These players have been on the road for the last six months and with the bubble life, it is never easy.
On semi-final hopes: It was unfortunate that we lost our first two games but we are rooting for Afghanistan to win. Again, I’m not trying to give excuses, but the toss plays a crucial factor and there is a lot of difference between first and batting second, which should not be the case in such a short format.
On Yuzvendra Chahal’s omission: That is for the selectors to decide. We can only play the team are given and I wouldn’t want to dwell on that.
On bowling not being up to the mark this tournament: “I am not trying to give any excuses but this World Cup, the trend has been that the team which wins the toss has a big advantage especially when you are playing in Dubai. The wicket eases out when you bowl the second time, it is no excuse, we should have done better, we should have batted better. In the first game, we had the chance to defend our total but we looked a little below-par.”
On bowling depth and workload management: “The likes of Mohammed Siraj coming in, Prasidh Krishna, with the workload management in place, I am sure we will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. Absolutely, not only the volume of cricket our country is playing, but also being in the bubble and playing is not very easy. They do not need sufficient breaks, the mental health is going to be very important. This is going to be the norm for us in the coming year. In our country, we have a good pool of fast bowlers so we can afford to field different teams for different formats. Also, it keeps our bowlers mentally and physically fresh.”
On his coaching journey with the Indian team: “I think it has been a great and outstanding journey for me, there have been ups and downs but I think the team is in a much better position than it was when we started. Pretty happy about it, the highest point would be the kind of bowling we have, we strived hard to achieve success overseas as a team and we went about achieving that. The highest point would be two back-to-back series wins in Australia.”
He added, “More or less winning the series in England, there is one more Test to go, the performance of the team during this English series was outstanding. Actually, it took us a little while, it is a combination of strength and conditioning, the physiotherapy and the bowling department all coming together to create this type of bowling unit. India can always boast of good fast bowlers but the workload management in place ensured that the fast bowlers remained fresh and that we could even rotate.”
NZ vs AFG LIVE – T20 World Cup LIVE: But as the Press Conference will be in progress, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson will be out for a toss vs Mohd Nabi’s Afghanistan. India is praying & rooting for victory for Mohd Nabi’s team. Reason, if Aghanistan lose to Kane Williamson’s Kiwis squad, India will also exit the T20 World Cup & if Afghan team wins, India will enter the Semifinals of T20 World Cup. Follow NZ vs AFG LIVE Updates on InsideSport.in
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New Zealand vs Afghanistan LIVE: Not only the fans but Virat Kohli’s Indian squad is also set to be glued to their television sets to check the result of the match.
“If Afghanistan lose, we will pack backs and go back to home. Yes, we will keep a tab on the game”, said Ravindra Jadeja in post match conferecne.
If Afghanistan manage to turn the tables on Kane Williamson & Co, it will keep alive their slim chances while boosting that of the Indians (on 4 points currently), who would need to win their last match with a good margin.
However, if the Kiwis secure a win, India’s final league game on Monday against Namibia will be rendered inconsequential.
Possible T20 World Cup semi-final scenarios from Group 2
- Pakistan have already qualified from the group, with India, New Zealand and Afghanistan in a three-horse race to take the last T20 World Cup semi-final spot.
- New Zealand are currently in second place, with Afghanistan and India trailing heading into the final game of the group stage.
- A win for New Zealand will see them qualify for the semi-finals, while Afghanistan and India will be knocked out.
- Wins for Afghanistan and India will see the three teams tied on six points, meaning net run rate will be a deciding factor.
- Virat Kohli and Co. are currently ahead in terms of net run-rate, after their thumping win over Scotland on Friday.
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