Associate nations like Italy, Nepal and Scotland may not be favourites at the T20 World Cup, but their ambitions remain high. Captains stressed the importance of exposure, inspiring young players and putting their countries on the global cricket map despite facing elite teams.

Mumbai: The likes of Italy, Nepal, Scotland, USA and Canada may not make a real impact at the T20 World Cup with the biggies in the fray but their dreams to shine at the biggest stage of the shortest format is no less.

For the Italians, long known as a footballing giant, the chance to rub shoulders with the greatest cricketing nations in undisputedly the biggest cricket nation on the planet is an invaluable opportunity.

Their skipper Wayne Madsen was wide-eyed and gung-ho at the Captains Day press conference and shared his thoughts.

"Football is the main the sport in Italy but the opportunity for us to play in the T20 World Cup is hugely important for the country and it is about putting Italy on the cricketing map," Madsen, who played field hockey for South Africa said at the captains' press conference ahead of the World Cup.

Scotland have not qualified for the T20 World Cup in the most ideal circumstances through a proper qualification process but got lucky after the ICC decided to replace Bangladesh with them after the country's security-related concerns to travel to India.

"The preparation has been different from other teams but we will look to make the most of playing at this level. It's a great opportunity in front of us," said Scotland captain Richie Berrington.

All the three Associate nations had vastly different qualification campaigns for the T20 showpiece. Nepal are a team on the rise, Scotland replaced Bangladesh who withdrew from the event citing security concerns in India while Italy's presence in the World Cup is a testament to the game's growth in Europe.

Playing their back-to-back T20 World Cup, Nepal are looking to make a substantial impact.

"This T20 World Cup is very important as we qualified after 10 years (in 2024). The next gen who will be watching us, we want to make an impact for them," Nepal captain Rohit Paudel, who calls himself a big fan of former India captain Rohit Sharma.

Paudel is excited about playing at Rohit Sharma's home ground in Mumbai.

"I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma but living up to the expectations (his name) will be a tough task for me. I hope I can make the fans happy," Paudel added.

For India-born USA captain Monank Patel, the experience of playing in the country of his birth will certainly be a special and emotional one for the youngster.

"It's a great feeling to come and play a WC in India. Never thought of playing a World Cup in India and representing USA. Excited over the next two days," said Monank ahead of the opener against India on Saturday.

Leaders of England and the West Indies -- Harry Brook and Shai Hope respectively -- were also part of the media interaction.

They were asked about controversy surrounding Pakistan's selective pullout from the game against arch-rivals India on February 15 but steered clear of the question.

"We just stay in our lane and it's up to the ICC and the others who have agreements and disagreements. We are just here to enjoy and play as well as we can," said Brook on the potential absence of a team in the tournament due to non-cricketing reasons.