Ahead of India’s highly anticipated voyage to add an ICC title to their cabinet in the T20 World Cup, their former strength and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton said that every team against India plays with an underdog mindset.
He feels that is how most teams end up playing with a great deal of freedom against India, as they know they are not the favourites to defeat them. Upton was alongside Gary Kirsten when the Indian side lifted the World Cup in 2011 and he says this tournament will be as difficult for the Indian side as the T20 World Cup.
According to the South African, who was formerly the head coach of Rajasthan Royals for three seasons, India is the best T20 team in the world and they enter the tournament as the significant favorites to lift the trophy.
“India are arguably the best T20 cricket team in the world. The Indian team is excellently poised to do well because they’ve such a good team. So, India will go into that T20 World Cup as a significant favorite. I have no doubt about that,”
he told Times of India.
India open their account in the T20 World Cup with a clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24. This will be their first meeting since the 2019 World Cup, where India emerged victorious by a huge margin.
India will later on face New Zealand, Afghanistan and two other sides who will make it to the Super 12 stages from the ongoing group stage fixtures.