Kohli’s men must show maturity to win World Cup: Ganguly

Dubai, October 16

Indian cricket board president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly today said Virat Kohli’s team has the talent to be considered a legitimate contender for the T20 World Cup, and that it needs to show maturity to claim the trophy. India will open their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24.

“You don’t become champions easily and you just don’t become champions just by stepping into a tournament... They have to get through the process, they have to show maturity,” Ganguly said, adding: “They all have the talent, they all have the skill to score runs and take wickets at this level. They just have to be mentally in good space to win the World Cup.”

Ganguly said the side should focus on winning every game instead of targetting the title. “The title is only won when the finals are finished. So, you have a lot of cricket to be played before that and I think India should focus on winning every game and just taking it from there and not think about the title at the start,” he said.

“They will always be contenders in whatever competition they play in. The challenge for them is to be at peace with themselves, focus on the process rather than the results,” he said.

Asked whether, seeing the trend in the IPL, he expects a low-scoring T20 World Cup, Ganguly said: “No, no, I don’t think so. Maybe in Sharjah it will be because of the wickets, but Dubai is an absolute belter, the (IPL) final played yesterday was an absolute belter. Abu Dhabi will be a great surface to bat on and it is going to be a great World Cup.” — TNS, Agencies

Dhoni’s presence will boost confidence: Kohli

Dubai: His mere presence aside, Indian team mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s “eye for intricate details” and “practical advice” will help in enhancing the confidence of the squad in the T20 World Cup, captain Virat Kohli said today. “He has got massive experience. He is quite excited himself to be back in that environment. He has always been a mentor for all of us when we were starting our careers through till the time he was with the team,” Kohli said. “Younger guys who are playing their first major tournaments at early stages of career will benefit. His eye for intricate details and practical advice will help improve the game by one or two per cent. We are absolutely delighted to have him... (His) presence will not only boost morale but also increase confidence that we already have,” he added. PTI