India captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid have received an important notification about India’s chances at the T20 World Cup all the way from Australia. The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup is only days away, and for the Indian cricket team, this is the last opportunity for both captain Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to lay their hands on the coveted ICC silverware. Rohit won the T20 World Cup in its very first edition 17 years ago, but for coach Dravid, who will not be seeking an extension with the team once his contract expires at the end of the tournament, it’s an if not now, then never situation. Opinions may be divided but Rohit, Dravid and the BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar believe this is the best squad of 15 India could have assembled for the World Cup. Rohit and Virat Kohli are back, as are Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the exciting opener, while Sanju Samson has finally been rewarded for his dues by getting picked as one of the wicketkeepers along with Rishabh Pant. Shivam Dube’s meteoric rise has earned him a place at the expense of Rinku Singh, and despite a flop show with bat, ball and as Mumbai Indians captain, Hardik Pandya is the designated vice-captain of the team. With a team of such pedigree, you would back them to go all the way, right? Right? Well, if former Australia Test captain Tim Paine is to be believed, the collective efforts of the Indians may not be enough. Paine reckons for India to have a shot at the World Cup, the one person who has to fire more than anyone else is Kohli. In fact, Paine, in conversation with fellow Australians Aaron Finch and Michael Clarke on the ‘Around the Wicket’ podcast, reckons Kohli having a banger of a tournament is directly proportional to India lifting the World Cup, and vice-versa. “I can’t see India winning the World Cup unless Virat Kohli has a really strong World Cup – bit similar to Glenn Maxwell’s form. I know he hasn’t been red-hot as of late but I can’t see Australia winning the World Cup unless Maxwell has a blinder,” Paine said likening Kohli to Maxwell
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