India has to win the World Cup, Day 12: India is the biggest contender for victory on the strength of its cricket structure.

Delhi: The discussion about India-Pakistan match in T20 World Cup had not even ended when the day of the next match against Netherlands in Ahmedabad arrived. It is possible to say that this match is ‘dead rubber’ for India but think about Netherlands for whom, without worrying about win or loss, the opportunity to play against No. 1 team India is the biggest achievement of this T20 World Cup.

On their part, they are leaving no stone unturned in their preparation, that is why the team management made a different request a few hours before the match. The local Gujarat Cricket Association sought a Khabbu net batter that could help their bowlers prepare for India’s left-handers. Till now, there have been many examples of tour teams asking the host association for net bowlers with special qualities like left-arm wristspin or mystery spin, but perhaps for the first time a team has asked for a Khabbu net batsman. Netherlands have no Khabbu batsman in the top order while India may play with 6 Khabbu batsmen in the top 8: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, Shivam Dubey, Rinku Singh and Akshar Patel.

Incidentally, the domestic season for the Gujarat team has ended and in such a situation, arranging for a special net batsman was not easy. The eyes were fixed on Gujarat captain Manan Hingrajiya and by chance they also met him. Was in a training session and reported directly to Narendra Modi Stadium from there. It didn’t take long for Hingrajiya to understand what was expected of him and batting on a practice pitch inside the ground, Hingrajiya played a variety of shots, completing a two-hour continuous batting session against the attack that would face India a few hours later.

This news is widely discussed in the Australian media that even the ICC is breaking its restraint on the India-Pakistan match and the drama that took place on the boycott of Bangladesh before that. To avoid the logistical problems caused by India and Pakistan refusing to play in each other’s countries, the ICC has started thinking about shifting the 2029 Champions Trophy and 2031 World Cup out of India. Such a decision will not be easy but it is an indication that the ‘drama’ has become too much.

There are reports of displeasure over the performance of the Pakistan Cricket Board team. It is also news that for the first time, beyond talent, beyond money and economics, Pakistan cricket has started thinking that why Indian cricket is much ahead of Pakistan cricket? The biggest difference that no one pays attention to is the most special one. Who is at the top in Pakistan cricket directly impacts the team. It is not that there has never been any internal conflict in BCCI, but it has never affected the selectors’ policy and team selection. Whether there was Sharad Pawar-Jagmohan Dalmiya conflict on the board or Lalit Modi became a complete ‘villain’, everyone saw the vision for cricket.

Also faced opposition from the government. The board’s rights were snatched away, decisions regarding cricket were made in the Supreme Court, but cricket not only continued, it continued to develop and flourish. Change of IPL commissioner, fixing scam of 2013, Mudgal Committee, interim president, that is, saw everything but played top level cricket amidst all this: won two World Cups, dominated the Champions Trophy, won the Test team in Australia and crossed every test of IPL being strong. BCCI survived because of its strong structure, kept sports separate from politics. Jammu and Kashmir playing in the Ranji Trophy final this season is proof of how cricket is developing in the country.

That is why the entire country has only one desire: India has to win the World Cup. This is not impossible. Now we are getting closer to the target but facing a tough competition.

Stars will come and go, administrators will keep coming and going, it is important that Indian cricket keeps moving forward. If Pakistan really wants to regain its lost respect in cricket, then first of all it will have to think about cricket.

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