- Monday, May 20, 2024
Some of the top teams that will compete in the biennial event such as India have already finished their T20 assignments ahead of the World Cup and will bank of their players’ show in tournaments such as IPL.
By: Shubham Ghosh
FORMER Australia cricketer Tom Moody, who is currently a coach, said on Thursday (8) said performance of players in highly competitive T20 tournaments such as Indian Premier League (IPL) and International League T20 (ILT20) will be under the scanner more this year due to the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US in June.
Some of the top teams that will compete in the biennial event such as India have already finished their T20 assignments ahead of the World Cup and will bank of their players’ show in the T20 tournaments like the one mentioned above.
“The IPL (set to be played between March-May), along with any other T20 tournament, like the ILT20, is important for any player to be performing because every home team is looking at the performances of all their players in these tournaments because of the high-quality cricket in these (leagues),” Moody, 58, said during a virtual media interaction facilitated by the Desert Vipers team of the ILT20.
The tall former all-rounder, who has coached in the IPL in the past, then described how these outings could help players to secure a berth in the World Cup-bound squads.
“If you are scoring runs, taking wickets and showing consistency, it only puts you in a good position as an individual when it comes to those final tough decisions around the selection table. “It allows you to continue with that sort of confidence, going into an important (T20) World Cup,” Moody added.
Read: T20 World Cup 2024 a party with a purpose: Tournament director
India head coach Rahul Dravid had expressed a similar opinion recently.
“We might not get many opportunities to play together, so we will have to work around that. We will obviously have the IPL, and you know, everyone will be watching closely to see how some of those guys play and what are the slots we need to fill in the team,” Dravid had said after India’s three-match home T20I series against Afghanistan last month.
Read: T20 World Cup 2024: India, Pakistan to lock horns in New York on June 9
However, Moody was not unmindful of the challenge a new destination like the US can offer to the teams, who otherwise might be familiar with conditions in the West Indies.
“Many people have played in the Caribbean but what would be presented in the US will be one of many different things.”
He said the teams and players will have to adapt quickly to a non-regular cricketing venue like the US.
“Talking about world-class players, they have played in all sorts of conditions and situations. I believe the top players and teams would adapt pretty quickly, whether it’s chasing down a total over 200 or even low-scoring ones,” he reckoned.
(With PTI inputs)
