Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar has shared his predictions for the finalists of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, co-hosted by the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies.
T20 World Cup 2024 structure
The opening clash will take place between USA and Canada at the Grand Prairie stadium in Dallas on June 1. Teams are divided into four groups, with the top two from each group progressing to the Super Eight stage. The Super Eight will then be divided into two groups, and the leading two teams from each will advance to the semi-finals. The summit clash will take place at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.
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Sunil Gavaskar’s predictions
In a discussion with Star Sports, Gavaskar predicted that India and Australia would make it to the finals, the same two teams who competed for the elusive ODI World Cup 2023 title where Australia emerged victorious. His confidence in these teams stems from their strong cricketing history and robust team line-ups.
Both sides prospects and campaign
India were knocked out of the 2022 T20 World Cup by England in the semi-finals and have not won the prestigious trophy since becoming the inaugural champions in 2007. Rohit Sharma will lead the team in the latest edition of the tournament, with Hardik Pandya as his deputy. India are placed in Group A alongside Ireland, Pakistan, USA and Canada. They aim to break their ICC trophy drought and win their first T20 World Cup in over a decade.
On the other hand, Australia, grouped with Oman, England, Namibia and Scotland, will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman on June 5. They will then face England on June 8, Namibia on June 12, and Scotland on June 16 before moving to the Super Eights. Australia won the T20 World Cup in 2021 and are strong contenders for the title again.
