Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes a 50-over World Cup is more gratifying. Then a T20 World Cup because it has a novelty factor. The 40-year-old believes that holding the World Cup in its shortest version every two years dilutes the tournament’s relevance.
The left-hander was a key part of the nation’s T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup triumphs in 2007 and 2011. Gambhir smashed 75 runs in the inaugural T20 World Cup final. He also batted heroically in the final of the 50-over World Cup 2011 at Wankhede Stadium, scoring 97 runs.
“Born in 1981 and seeing cricket through the 90s and later, I find the win in the 50-over World Cup more rewarding as compared to T20s. There is a novelty attached to the 50-over format. It is staged every four years whereas the T20 World Cup comes around in almost no time. We have one now and another next year in Australia. Yes, the schedules have gone haywire due to Covid, but I am not sure if the fans can really recall the outcome of the previous T20 World Cup with the same accuracy as its 50-over counterpart.” He mentioned
T20 World Cup
Gambhir explained that the authorities should consider holding T20 World Cup every three years in order to increase the tournament’s originality.
“If anything, the authorities can deliberate on the idea of pushing the T20 World Cup every three years. If I become a champion today I would want to hold on to that position for at least some time.” Gambhir added.
The impending T20 World Cup 2021 was supposed to take place in 2020. However, the ICC was obliged to postpone the competition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, Australia will host another T20 World Cup.
India has never recaptured the T20 World Cup trophy since winning it for the first time in South Africa in 2007. After coming up short in 2014, the Men in Blue lost in the semifinals against the West Indies in 2016.
While qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is still underway, the main event will begin on October 23. In Abu Dhabi, the first match will be a duel between Australia and South Africa.
The India team, led by Virat Kohli, will be one of the favorites to win the World Cup. Along with Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan, India is in Group B of the event. On October 24, MS Dhoni’s team will begin their campaign in Dubai against arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-octane match.