Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir feels Sri Lanka could be a significant threat to the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. Sri Lanka had recently beaten India in the Super 4 contest of the Asia Cup and then had gone on to win the tournament after beating Pakistan in the final.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is yet to qualify for the Super 12 stage but they are expected to do so given their current form. The Island country began its T20 World Cup campaign against Namibia in the tournament’s curtain raiser on Sunday.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that Sri Lanka is drafted in Group A of the qualifiers and they will join England, Australia, Afghanistan, and New Zealand in Group 1 if they qualify for the Super 12 stage.
Meanwhile, India is in Group 2 along with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Africa. Thus, India and Sri Lanka could meet in the semifinal stages if they perform at their best in the Super 12 stage.
India is starting as one of the favorites for the tournament while Sri Lanka has shown that they can punch above their weight.
“Sri Lanka, because of the kind of success they have had at the Asia Cup. The way they are playing, the way they are probably peaking at the right time,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show Game Plan.
“And with (Dushmantha) Chameera and Lahiru Kumara coming in, they probably got most of their places covered. They are going to be a threat and so they are going to take a lot of confidence in the T20 World Cup,” he added.
Gambhir added no team can be taken lightly in the T20 format as any team can beat any team on a given day.
“Just like any other game, just like against Pakistan, South Africa or any other game. No team can be taken lightly especially in a format like T20, because in a T20, the shorter the format, any team can upset anyone,” Gambhir said.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on 23rd October. The Rohit Sharma-led team will also play two warm-up matches against Australia and New Zealand.
