With the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) coming to an end with the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the summit clash, the action will now shift towards the T20 World Cup 2024, set to be played in the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies from June 1.
Ahead of the marquee tournament, the first batch of Indian cricketers, which included skipper Rohit Sharma, World No. 1 ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav among many others left for the USA. However, ahead of their departure, they assembled at the Mumbai Airport. At that time, the Indian team was offered a cake with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant doing the honours.
Soon after cutting the cake, Pant offered a piece to Rohit, which the Indian captain refused and said, “Jeetne ke baad khayenge (Will eat after winning).” However, this response from the Team India skipper is now doing rounds on social media.
Watch Rohit Sharma’s response to Rishabh Pant here:
Moreover, as no Indian player from the T20 World Cup 2024 squad is involved in the IPL 2024 Final, the other set to players, including the likes of Virat Kohli are set to fly to North America on May 26. It is to be noted that the Rohit Sharma-led Team India will aim to end the ICC trophy and become the first Indian team in 17 years to win the T20 World Cup.
India at T20 World Cup 2024
The Rohit Sharma-led Team India are placed in Group A along with their arch0rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA. Ahead of their tournament opener at the biennial tournament, they will take on Bangladesh on June 1 in a warm-up fixture. The side will begin their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.