Highlights
- India will play against Pakistan on October 23, 2022 at MCG
- Rohit Sharma was a part of India's victorious T20 World Cup campaign in 2007
- Over 16 teams are participating in this edition of the T20 World Cup
T20 World Cup 2022: The Indian team looks all ready to embark on yet another World Cup journey, the men in blue led by skipper Rohit Sharma are being touted as favourites and will play their opening game against Pakistan on October 23, 2022, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). India are coming off dominant international success as they have beaten both South Africa and Australia by 2-1 in a three-match T20I series on their home turf.
Team India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 under the leadership of MS Dhoni and since then, they haven't been able to replicate that. It has been 15 years since the men in blue emerged victorious in the tournament and skipper Sharma and his troops would want to emulate the same feat in the eighth edition of the tournament. Rohit played in his first 2007 T20 World Cup under the leadership of MS Dhoni and now he leads the charge for the men in blue. The pressure to go big in such tournaments still looms over Rohit Sharma but this time around he has an additional responsibility to lead the charge for team India.
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Rohit reflected upon MS Dhoni's victorious 2007 T20 World Cup campaign and said:
When I was picked for that World Cup I did not go with any expectations about myself. I just wanted to enjoy and play the tournament as it was my first ever World Cup. I had no understanding of what it was like to be part of a World Cup and how big it was going to be until we won the World Cup. 140 or 150 was a good score back then and now people try and get that score in 14 or 15 overs.
Skipper Sharma also opened up on what his Indian team is trying to achieve and added:
Teams these days take more risks without worrying about the result and I think that is a good way to play this format. It is something that our team is also trying to do. This is the kind of format where there is an element of risk, but there are high rewards as well. We have got to be brave enough to take those risks and certainly be prepared to do that as well.
Team India crashed out of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in the league stages owing to their defeat against Pakistan and they will want to rectify that when they take the field against their arch-rivals on October 23, 2022.
