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    Canadian Cricket Team Gains Valuable Insights from Indian Players
Canadian Cricket Team Gains Valuable Insights from Indian Players
Canadian Cricket Team. Source: cbc.ca

Canadian Cricket Team Gains Valuable Insights from Indian Players

After nearly defeating Pakistan in the T20 World Cup last month, Canada's debutant team aimed to cause an upset against eventual champions India. However, persistent rains in Lauderhill, Florida, prevented them from facing stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah. Despite this, the 23rd-ranked team found solace in gaining valuable "life lessons" from some of the world's best cricketers.

Associate teams like Canada rarely get opportunities to compete against top-tier teams, usually only meeting them during ICC tournaments. Although the washout on June 15 ended Canada's T20 World Cup journey, they left with significant takeaways. Pacer Jeremy Gordon described the experience as "surreal."

Gordon, in an exclusive interaction with India.com, shared his admiration for Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, noting their humility. He mentioned that the entire Canadian team benefited from interactions with Indian players, with advice from Kohli, Dravid, and Bumrah boosting their confidence and providing an extra push to progress further.

Gordon recounted how the team discussed batting, mindset, and fitness with the Indian players. Coach Rahul Dravid even visited their dressing room to express pride in how far they had come as an associate nation. Dravid’s words, recognising the financial and facility challenges they faced, were particularly inspiring.

Gordon highlighted that players from associate nations often lack game awareness and tend to overthink the future. Kohli's message was to keep things simple and stay present in the moment, a lesson that resonated with the Canadian players.

As a fast bowler, Gordon was keen to learn from Bumrah, the world’s top pacer. He asked Bumrah about practising yorkers and was advised to keep a shoe in front of the stumps as a target, a technique learned from Lasith Malinga. Bumrah also pinpointed simplicity and starting with the best ball.

Gordon highlighted the positive impact of the Global T20 Canada league on cricket in the country. The franchise-based league, which started in 2019, has significantly increased awareness of the sport in Canada and allowed players to learn from international stars. The exposure to high-pressure situations and advice from seasoned players has boosted the confidence of Canadian cricketers, contributing to the growth of the sport.

Canada's participation in the T20 World Cup 2024 marked their fourth appearance in any cricket World Cup, and the team hopes to continue building on this foundation in the coming years.

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