Scotland's task 'taken to new level' with clash against India at T20 World Cup

Kyle Coetzer of Scotland plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between New Zealand and Scotland.

That is according to Scottish skipper Kyle Coetzer who cannot wait for his charges to pit their wits against Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Co in Dubai (2pm UK time).

India are the third best T20 side in the world if you go by the rankings, so it was a big shock to many when they lost their opening Super 12 games to Pakistan and New Zealand without so much as firing a shot.

As a result, their semi-final hopes are still hanging by a thread in Group Two despite a thumping victory over Afghanistan on Wednesday, so they certainly will not be going easy on Scotland.

“The excitement has been there for every game in this tournament so far, but coming up against a side like India throws things to a new level,” 37-year-old Coetzer said.

“The boys are really looking forward to the fixture, it’s one that has been highlighted for a while.

“It’s a formidable challenge coming up against a strong Indian team full of exciting players. We’ve got to push that to one side and try to take on the challenges in front of us on the day.

“We have to focus on what we’re good at. We’ve done our homework on India and we know the skills they have. We can’t fear their players, but we have to respect them.”

Coetzer knows that if his side have any chance of causing the shock of all shocks then he and opening batting partner George Munsey have to come to the party.

Scotland’s top order has not fired as they would have liked in recent games and the skipper adds: “As a batting unit we will look to play positively, but try to keep wickets in hand at the same time, that’s the balance you have to try to find. It’s about assessing the pitch and making the right choices.”