Wasim Akram has poked fun at the Indian men’s cricket team as none of their 15-member squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup was part of the recent IPL final.
The fast bowling legend quipped Indian cricketers will not be able to cite fatigue to justify their performances, adding that it may turn out to be a ‘blessing in disguise’.
“Well, now at least none of them will have to say that they are tired. They were thinking ahead, what is the point of reaching the final, India is more important, we will play with the country. But it could be a blessing in disguise for India,” Akram was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
“We discussed in the previous show that I was worried that they might be tired, and they will be tired, no doubt. Even America is not their road. I think Pakistan’s first match is Dallas if I remember. Now they will go and play there, one or two practice matches. It will be okay, I suppose. It is T20, the boys will recover, nowadays fitness levels are very high,” he added.
ALSO WATCH | Avesh Khan Video Calls Rinku Singh as Pacer Leaves for T20 World Cup with Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal and Avesh Khan left for USA on Monday night. Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj along with reserves Shubman Gill and Khaleel Ahmed had left for New York from Mumbai on Saturday night and landed in New York on Monday.
Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who played for Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2, as well as Rinku Singh, who won the IPL 2024 title with Kolkata Knight Riders. are expected to leave soon. Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli will be joining the squad late.
ALSO READ | T20 World Cup 2024: Check Team India’s Itinerary in the USA Before Warm-up Match vs Bangladesh
India are set to play their lone warm-up game against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 1.
India’s T20 World Cup campaign begins on June 5 against Group A opponents Ireland in New York, followed by a highly-anticipated clash against Pakistan on June 9.
India will then face co-hosts USA on June 12 in New York, before flying out to Florida to face Canada on June 15 to wrap up their Group A league matches.
