Picture Credit: Twitter
India's chances to progress further in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 hang by a thin thread at the moment. Their only chance is if Afghanistan beat New Zealand in their last Super 12 match on Sunday. And as India fans would be praying for an Afghanistan win, former India opener and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar has backed Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman to come good against New Zealand.
While Mujeeb missed out on the last few games due to an injury, he was seen working out in a video on social media which has tempted the India and Afghanistan fans to believe that he could be named in the Afghan XI against the Kiwis. Gavaskar even compared Mujeeb to India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and said that Mujeeb could be hard to pick like the Kolkata Knight Riders spinner.
Just want Mujeeb to be fit for that game: Gavaskar
The 72-year-old said that if all the Afghanistan spinners - Mujeeb along with Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan do well, then the BlackCaps can find themselves in a spot of bother.
"I just want Mujeeb to be fit for that game. That would mean an additional mystery spinner against New Zealand. If he along with Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi can weave their magic, then…Yesterday against Afghanistan India got a little toe-in. Now they will have to hold forte. If Afghanistan beat New Zealand, they have smashed the door," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"Mujeeb is going to be such a key element for that game because he is very difficult to pick just like Varun Chakravarthy and he has got a little more experience than him. So, he and Rashid Khan are going to be the key," he added.
In case Afghanistan wins, India will have to register a victory over Namibia in their last Super 12 match by a certain margin to go through to the semifinals on a better net run rate. However, if New Zealand win, then as Ravindra Jadeja mentioned, the Men in Blue will have to pack their bags and go home and their remaining match would only be a dead rubber in the context of the tournament.