'I'd be very disappointed if they don't make it to the semifinal': Dinesh Karthik after Papua New Guinea almost upset West Indies in T20 WC opener

Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has high expectations for the West Indies in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. He believes anything less than a semi-final appearance would be a disappointment for the Rovman Powell-led side. The West Indies have certainly built momentum coming into the tournament. Under Powell's captaincy, they've displayed impressive form in recent months, including dominant victories over India and England in T20I series. Their batting firepower, featuring explosive players like Powell himself, makes them a force to be reckoned with in the competition.

Karthik's comments reflect the general sentiment surrounding the West Indies, who are considered one of the strong contenders to lift the trophy. Their recent performances and the sheer talent within the squad have solidified their position among the favorites for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

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Karthik Backs West Indies as T20 World Cup Favorites

 Backing the West Indies' chances, Dinesh Karthik believes the home team has a strong shot at the T20 World Cup title.

“They have been the best team between over 16 and 20 across the cycle, very, very powerful team. The one thing that T20 cricket runs on right now when it comes to batting is power. The reason why KKR won, you know, is just power through the innings up until 8, 9 and that's pretty much what West Indies have now," Karthik told Cricbuzz.

 

“And as those stats say, they've been very dominating at home, beat England in a very close five-match series and they played some solid cricket. For me, I'd be very disappointed if they didn't make it to the semi-final. I think they are a team that should get there. They have a solid team, most bases covered, the only thing their bowling is little light, especially fast bowling. If they play on good pitches, they will be found out. But if they play on pitches, which is either slow or ones that turn, West Indies have a very good chance,” he added.

 

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Dinesh Karthik also emphasised the unique challenge of wind conditions in the West Indies. He explained the difficulties batsmen face when playing in windy conditions. Given this factor, Karthik believes the West Indies, known for their strong batting in the second innings, might strategically choose to chase more often during the tournament.

 

“Unlike other parts of the world, the biggest challenge in playing in West Indies is the wind. You got to take the wind into consideration a lot when you play a shot, which side of the ground you want to hit. As a bowler, you try in India, a lot of times in IPL, you try when they play on the side pitches, one side of the boundary is lesser," Karthik, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, further stated.

 

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“In this, in West Indies, it definitely becomes the wind. So you don't try and hit into the wind. As a bowler, you make them hit into the wind. So those are the biggest challenges. The pitches are not as consistent as you play in other parts of the world. It's slightly slow. It might be sticky. You got to understand infrastructure is not their strength in the Caribbean. So I just hope for this World Cup, it's much better. But consistently over a period of time, they have not been the best. And West Indies will pray to win as many tosses as possible because when they bat second, they are unbelievably good,” he concluded.

 

Papua New Guinea give tough time to West Indies 

 

However, that was not the case with West Indies when they faced Papua New Guinea in their T20 World Cup opener on June 2. West Indies batting second suffered a mini batting collapse against Papua New Guinea while chasing a lowly target of 137. However, ultimately West Indies won the match by five wickets, riding on Roston Chase's fighting 42 off 27 balls.

 

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