Sourav Ganguly backs ‘gutsy’ New Zealand against Australia in 20-20 World Cup final
Sourav Ganguly (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has backed New Zealand to win the 20-20 World Cup final against Australia on Sunday (November 14). The Kane Williamson-led side has been phenomenal in global events for the past six years. While everyone pinned India, West Indies, and England as favourites to win the showpiece event, New Zealand came into the tournament as underdogs, as usual. However, the Kiwis set the tournament on fire by playing astounding cricket.
They beat England by five wickets in the semi-final and are now one shot away from winning their maiden 20-20 title. The team though have Australia in the way, who have peaked at the right time. The Aaron Finch-led side beat favourites Pakistan in the semi-final to march into the final.
Ganguly feels New Zealand are the favourites to win the summit clash due to their never die attitude and strong character.
“I feel it is New Zealand’s time in world sport. Australia are a great nation, but they have had a tough time for a while, though they have been a great cricketing country. New Zealand has a lot more guts and character than we see on TV. They won the World Test Championship a few months ago. It’s a small country but it’s got a lot of steel. I have the feeling that it is indeed New Zealand’s time,” Ganguly said, according to Cricket Next.
Sourav Ganguly also shed light on India’s disappointing campaign in the 20-20 World Cup. The Men in Blue lost two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand and crashed out of the event. The BCCI President feels India will bounce back stronger and will lift the trophy within a year. “At the end of the day – Bumrah, Shami, Rohit, and Kohli are all human beings. It was just a matter of two bad games. That’s 40 overs of bad cricket. They will bounce back, and within a year or so, we will see the same boys lifting trophies,” Ganguly said.
