MM News

DUBAI: Former England captain Nasser Hussain has asserted that any team can upset India in the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup 2021, highlighting the unpredictability of shortest format of the game.

“They are favourites. I wouldn’t say clear favourites because of the format. The shorter the game, things can happen. An individual brilliance, a 70 or 80 or 3 deliveries suddenly changes it the other way around,” the cricketer told Sky Cricket.

Nasser Hussain further said besides, the fact that India have not had the greatest of records in knockout matches of the last few ICC tournaments also stands in their way in winning the ICC trophy.

The former England skipper further mentioned that India doesn’t have a plan B if their top-order fails in a do-or-die clash. “When they get to a stage – you look at the last World Cup against New Zealand – and suddenly it’s a low-scoring game and they don’t have a Plan B. So that’s going to be an issue for them,” he added.

“The knockout game, the expectations, everyone thinking that they will win. And the reason people think that is when you look at that line-up on paper, it has everything,” Hussain added.

India will begin its T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium. India last won a major ICC tournament back in 2013 when under MS Dhoni, they beat England to lift the Champions Trophy.

Since then, India have reached the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup, 2016 World T20 and the 2019 World Cup win, while finishing runner-up in the Champions Trophy in 2017. Earlier this year, India reached the final of the World Test Championship but lost the final to New Zealand.