India is set to face Canada in their final T20 World Cup group stage match in Lauderhill on Saturday, and the game is expected to be a mere formality. With an unbeaten record so far, Rohit Sharma and his team will aim to avoid a surprise defeat and maintain their momentum heading into the Super 8 stage.
Attention will once again be on India's batting lineup, which has shown inconsistency throughout the tournament. The playing XI features a blend of left-handed and right-handed batters: four left-handers (Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel) and four right-handers (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya). Ensuring a strategic left-right combination against spin will be crucial for India's success.
T20 World Cup 2024: IND vs CAN Weather Report
According to weather.com, heavy rain and thunderstorms are anticipated during the early morning hours at the venue. The probability of rain during the match is 50 percent, but it is expected to decrease after noon.
There is a possibility that the match might be canceled due to weather conditions. If that happens, India will still secure the top position in Group A, while Canada will move up to third place, surpassing Pakistan.
India coach T Dilip stated that it would be "tough" to single out a player who has improved most in the fielding aspect of the game. Two years ago, Dilip took over as the fielding coach of the Indian team. Since then, the fielding aspect of the Indian team has gone through drastic changes. Last year in the ODI World Cup, India's Field of the Match award, given to the best fielder after each game, became widely popular among the fans.
The trend has continued in the ongoing T20 World Cup as well. Ahead of their final group stage game against Canada in Florida, Dilip admitted that it was tough to pick one player.
"That's a tough question and a very tough answer to give. Ideally, we have done very well as a unit. But if I really want to go to specifics, what's heartening to see is the bowlers doing really well. Yes, Jadeja is very good, Virat Kohli is good, Rohit Sharma is good. They were doing very well before," the Indian fielding coach said in the pre-match press conference.
The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are some of the top fielders to feature in the team. But Dilip feels that the bowlers have stepped up as well. Due to their contributions, they are being placed in key positions, which is a great sign for the team.
"But then what's happening is the bowlers doing really well, which is adding up as you can see that now the bowlers are standing in hot spots. So, that's a great sign for a team. So, what will happen in that, Rohit Sharma will get the versatility that he doesn't have to look for any place. But that versatility is giving him to keep good fielders at positions all the time," he added.
India have already qualified for the Super 8 following their third consecutive win in the Group A. After defeating Ireland and Pakistan, India went on to clinch hard-earned points against the co-hosts USA. Despite securing the qualification, Dilips insisted that India won't take Canada lightly in their upcoming clash.
"We treat every opposition at the same level. Canada also plays very good cricket. So, we are more here to play our standards. We should fine-tune our standards in every match to see how we can beat and improve our standards," he stated.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.
