T20 World Cup: Rajput hopeful of a creditable show by UAE

Nineteen years ago, the inaugural ICC World T20 was a step into the unknown. The success of that event back in 2007 — driven in large part by India’s triumph — led to the birth of the IPL, and the subsequent boom of the shortest format, which has reshaped the sport’s landscape.

One person who played a key role in India’s victory was coach Lalchand Rajput. The former Indian cricketer has since taken on other coaching assignments and is back at the T20 World Cup for the first time after the 2007 edition, as the UAE’s head coach.

The Middle-Eastern country missed the 2024 edition but has made steady progress over the last 18 months under Rajput.

“We have worked very hard, and hopefully we’ll try and showcase that the UAE is also one of the teams, which is coming up now,” said Rajput in a chat with The Hindu.

The Gulf team, slotted in Group D, will kick off its campaign against New Zealand at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here before moving to New Delhi for its remaining matches against South Africa, Afghanistan and Canada.

In 2025, the UAE shocked Bangladesh 2-1 in a three-match T20 series ahead of the Asia Cup, and Rajput felt it showed what the team was capable of.

“It was very important for us because we don’t play Test nations often. So, competing with them and showing that we can be as good as they are was huge. If you look at that, we could have won it even 3-0. That gave us the momentum and the boost. The players now believe themselves, yes, we can do it. And I think from there on, we just carried forward and we qualified for the World Cup.”

Sharing his experience coaching associate countries, the former Mumbai opener stressed that a key aspect he emphasises is not getting overawed by the occasion or the opponent.

In last year’s Asia Cup, the UAE pushed Pakistan close in the group-stage game before letting the opportunity slip away. “When you give the big teams an opportunity, they will take it. In that game, we had them at 100 for seven (sic) and let them score 140 (sic). We also batted only 18 overs (sic). These are things we need to improve.”

“I think ILT20 has had a big impact on the players. Rubbing shoulders with top players has given them confidence, and they are starting to believe they can do it,” said Rajput.