Harbhajan Singh Calls for Practice Games Ahead of T20 World Cup, Anil Kumble Backs IPL Experience

May 19, 2024 0 814

Harbhajan Singh advocated for practice games before the T20 World Cup, while Anil Kumble believed the IPL provided enough preparation for the Indian team.

Former Indian cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble expressed differing views on Team India’s preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which starts a week after the IPL final.

Harbhajan questioned the scheduling, suggesting the BCCI should have allotted time for 4-5 practice matches before India’s opening game. He emphasised the importance of getting accustomed to the American conditions and playing against top teams like England or Australia.

“Yes, I believe it would have been better for them to have 4-5 games, you know collectively playing against some top team like England or Australia in America, just to get used to those conditions. But that doesn’t seem to be happening. But now, whatever small window we have, those two games, we have to make the best use of it. Going forward, it is a great suggestion. When you are playing a tournament like the World Cup or WTC, the team should play together for 10-15 days, it will be better,” Harbhajan said during a discussion on Star Sports.

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Kumble, on the other hand, believes the IPL itself serves as sufficient preparation. “With regard to the Indian players, people who are not part of the playoffs will certainly be going early, and the guys who will be playing or who will be part of the playoffs will leave immediately after the IPL. So I don’t see any reason why the preparation should be different. I don’t think there’s any issue with that,” Kumble said in a different discussion on JioCinema.

Kumble also noted that some Indian players will leave for World Cup duty before the IPL final after their teams are eliminated from the playoffs. “You can’t get a better sort of preparation for the World Cup than playing in an IPL where you played either 14 matches or 16 or 17. So, in that sense, you’ve prepared really well in this tournament in terms of any situation and under pressure you played. So it’s a good sort of understanding of where your game is and going into the World Cup,” remarked Kumble.