The United States of America (USA) has set a new direction for its preparations for the Cricket World Cup 2027 by winning the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League-2. After defeating Namibia by four wickets, the American team reached 47 points and secured the top spot. The team's focus is now on reaching the biggest stage of cricket through the World Cup qualifiers. Indian-origin cricketer Milind Kumar's contribution has emerged as a significant strength for the USA in this journey.
Born in Delhi, Milind Kumar has strengthened the USA team by performing consistently well in League-2. The 35-year-old Milind has scored 1348 runs in 29 innings across 31 ODIs, maintaining an average of 67.40 and a strike rate of 100.82. During this period, he has hit 109 fours and 38 sixes. His batting style is based on understanding situations, taking risks, and accelerating the innings as required. Additionally, Milind has taken 33 wickets in ODI Internationals, and all these ODI statistics are from the Cricket World Cup League-2. For the USA, he has also played 25 T20 Internationals, contributing 416 runs and 12 wickets.
Besides the USA, Scotland and the Netherlands have also secured their spots for the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2027 in League-2. Scotland has 45 points and the Netherlands has 38 points. Teams attempted to enter the next phase through series held in various countries during this competition. Winning the League-2 title is also important for the USA because it will allow the team to enter the qualifiers with greater confidence, although they must perform excellently in the next stage to qualify for the 2027 World Cup.
Milind Kumar's role in the middle order of the American team remains consistently decisive. His capability is not limited to playing big shots but also includes handling the innings and playing according to the bowlers' strategy. He looks for gaps on the field, changes strike, and does not hesitate to hit boundaries on poor deliveries. Recently, he proved his utility by scoring two consecutive unbeaten centuries during a successful run chase. His presence benefits the USA in situations where preserving wickets and maintaining run rate is essential during the middle overs.
Milind Kumar has played considerable ODI cricket for Delhi and the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA). In Delhi, he had to bat on pitches where scoring runs was not easy amidst tough competition. He learned to exercise extreme caution in shot selection against the turn taken by spinners and fast bowling. Milind believes that this experience is now proving helpful while playing for the USA. He feels that quickly understanding the match situation and planning according to circumstances is extremely necessary in ODI cricket.
He said, 'The hunger to score runs comes from the hunger to win. The desire to play the World Cup next year also motivates me.' Explaining his strategy, Milind Kumar mentioned that after playing a few balls, he estimates which shots will be effective on a particular pitch. If the boundary at one end of the ground is short, an aggressive approach can be planned there, while runs can be steadily accumulated from the other end to advance the score. For him, making the right decision at the right time is an important part of batting.
Milind Kumar, who has performed brilliantly for the USA, also has connections with the IPL (Indian Premier League). He was part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2018 and shared a dressing room with Virat Kohli during that time. Milind shared an interesting anecdote from that season. He mentioned that he was chosen as the best footballer in RCB and surpassed Kohli in this regard. According to Milind, Kohli gave him a smile as if he were going to answer it on the field the next day. Milind represented Delhi in domestic cricket for almost seven years, and during that time, he also played for Delhi under Kohli's captaincy.
If the USA qualifies for the Cricket World Cup 2027 and joins the group of the Indian team, Milind Kumar and Virat Kohli might appear on the same field once again. Currently, this possibility depends on qualification, but Milind certainly has an opportunity to make a name for himself through his performance.
After winning the League-2 title, the next challenge for the United States will be the 10-team World Cup Qualifier. Four teams will secure a place in the 2027 ODI World Cup from this competition. The qualifying team will directly reach the second round, i.e., the group stage, while the remaining three qualifying teams will have to participate in the first round super series of the tournament.
The Cricket World Cup 2027 will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia from October 2 to November 21. A total of 14 teams will participate in this tournament, and 57 matches will be played across 12 venues. The first in Africa since 2003...