Sourav Ganguly puts his weight behind New Zealand to win the 20-20 World Cup

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has picked New Zealand as the favourites to win the 20-20 World Cup. The Kane Williamson-led team will face Australia in the summit clash on Sunday (November 14) at the Dubai International Stadium. New Zealand have been exceptional in the tournament so far. Barring a blip against Pakistan, they have won all their games comprehensively.

Different players have stepped up to the team’s cause and there is no dependency on one single player. Williamson as usual has displayed a calm demeanour as a leader and has so far made correct decisions.

On the other hand, Australia have yet again proved why one can never count them out in global events. Aaron Finch-led side defied odds and beat red-hot favourites Pakistan in the semifinal. Ganguly though feels New Zealand will go on to win the title owing to their gutsy character.

“I feel it is New Zealand’s time in world sport. Australia are a great nation, but they have had a tough time for a while, though they have been a great cricketing country. New Zealand has a lot more guts and character than we see on TV. They won the World Test Championship a few months ago. It’s a small country, but it’s got a lot of steel. I have the feeling that it is indeed New Zealand’s time,” Ganguly said, according to Cricket Next.

Speaking on India's disappointing show in the 20-20 World Cup, Ganguly said India had just two bad games which can happen when you are overloaded with expectations. Ganguly was hopeful that India will bounce back stronger. “Expectations were undoubtedly very high, but I was happy to see that a majority of the people had the heart to accept the result. They were upset, but they did not overreact. “At the end of the day - Bumrah, Shami, Rohit, and Kohli are all human beings. It was just a matter of two bad games. That’s 40 overs of bad cricket. They will bounce back, and within a year or so, we will see the same boys lifting trophies,” Ganguly said.