Won't be surprised if Afghanistan vs New Zealand becomes most-watched T20 World Cup 2021 game: Sunil Gavaskar

T20 World Cup 2021: Speaking to India Today, batting great Sunil Gavaskar said New Zealand are better equipped than Afghanistan to handle pressure in a crucial Super 12 match on Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Afghanistan face New Zealand in a crunch Super 12 match on Sunday
• An Afghanistan win will boost India's chances of reaching the semi-final
• Gavaskar said New Zealand will be able to handle pressure better

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said he won't be surprised if Sunday's Super 12 match between Afghanistan and New Zealand becomes one of the most-watched matches of the tournament, given the importance attached to the fixture in terms of semi-final qualification scenarios in Group 2 of T20 World Cup 2021.

Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar the match in Abu Dhabi between Mohammad Nabi's Afghanistan and Kane Williamson's New Zealand will be followed keenly not just by Indians but people from across the sub-continent.

India's hopes of making the semi-final of T20 World Cup 2021 ride on an Afghanistan victory on Sunday as New Zealand will qualify if they beat Afghanistan, eliminating both India and Afghanistan from the race to the final four. If New Zealand lose, India will fancy their chances of beating Namibia on Monday and piping both the Black Caps and Afghanistan on Net Run Rate in case of a 3-way tie at 6 points.

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Notably, Pakistan have already confirmed their spot in the semi-final from Group 2 while England and Australia have made it from Group 1. India have had to depend on other results to go through as they were hammered by Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two matches of the campaign. Indi came back with dominant wins over Afghanistan and Scotland but it was not enough to take their fate in their own hands.

"I won't be surprised at all. Everybody knows that how crucial his match is for India's qualification. It is going to be watched by millions, perhaps even greater than the India-Pakistan game," Gavaskar said.

"For the simple reason that most people in the subcontinent will be watching. People in Afghanistan will be watching. They all know India's chances of qualifying depends on this game. So I won't be surprised if it's the most-watched game in the World Cup maybe apart from India-Pakistan and the final," he added.

New Zealand better equipped to handle pressure: Gavaskar

Meanwhile, Gavaskar pointed out that there will be pressure on both New Zealand and Afghanistan, given India's super Net Run Rate but insisted that Kane Williamson's men are better equipped to handle pressure.

New Zealand have showcased remarkable consistency in the recent ICC tournaments as they reached the final of the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and also went on to win the World Test Championship, beating India in the final earlier this year.

"How they cope with pressure is going to be key. In recent times, New Zealand have shown us they can cope with pressure very well. We saw that in the World Cup finals, they had a bit of bad luck. In the World Test Championships final as well, they kept their cool. Clearly, Kane Williamson's leadership is going to be the key. If he can hold the innings together, then New Zealand will give themselves a fair chance," Gavaskar added.