"Debacle Of 2022 T20 World Cup Repeating": Ex-India Star On Team's ODI World Cup Chances

31.07.2023 - 11:45 sports.ndtv.com

West Indies, a team that couldn't even qualify for this year's ICC Cricket World Cup, defeated the Indian team in the second ODI rather comprehensively, sending chills down the spine of the subcontinent giants' fans.

More than the result, it's the nature of experimentation head coach Rahul Dravid and the team management are doing with the team that worries fans.

In fact, former India cricketer feels the 'debacle of T20 World Cup 2022' could be on the horizon for Rohit Sharma's men. India were bowled out in the 41st over with just 181 on board.

West Indies chased down the total comfortably with 80 balls to spare and a match-winning half-century by their captain, Shai Hope.

cricket India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team 2023 cup on Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Shai Hope Aakash Chopra Ishan Kishan Shubman Gill India

Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah appears to be a strong contender to become vice-captain of the Indian team, alongside all-rounder Hardik Pandya, for the upcoming Asia Cup as well as ODI World Cup, starting October 5. While Pandya has been made the regular T20I captain, Bumrah, who has made an international comeback against Ireland in the ongoing T20I series that started on Friday, is set to give tough competition to the colourful Baroda all-rounder.

Will 'Home Advantage' Help India At ODI World Cup 2023? Controversial Ex-Coach Greg Chappell Urges 'Caution'

The Indian cricket team last won the ICC World Cup title back in the 2011 under the leadership of MS Dhoni and incidentally, they were also the hosts of that year's competition. It was a particularly good tournament for Asian teams as Pakistan reached the semi-finals and Sri Lanka finished as runners-up. With the 2023 edition of the tournament returning to India, the Rohit Sharma-led side is being as one of the front-runners but former India head coach Greg Chappell, who had a tumultuous time at the helm of the side, believes that the cricket fans need to be cautiously optimistic. In a recent interview, Chappell pointed out that home advantage will be a massive boost for India but winning the competition will not be easy due to the change dynamics in world cricket.

Why India Need Virat Kohli In 2024 T20 World Cup? Ex-India Star Explains

Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest batters in the world across all three formats. Known for his blistering knocks, the 34-year-old batter is en-route to breaking Sachin Tendulkar's historic record of 100 international centuries. While he is breathing fire in the ODIs and Tests, Kohli has not featured in a single T20I match since India's debacle in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022. Kohli, along with skipper Rohit Sharma has been missing out on the T20Is with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, donning the captain's hat.

"God's Way Of Telling Him...": Shoaib Akhtar Sums Up Virat Kohli's T20 World Cup Knock vs Pakistan

As India and Pakistan gear up for multiple showdowns over the next few months, the chatter around the two team's last face-off in the T20 World Cup 2022 gets more and more intense. It was Virat Kohli who single-handedly won the match for the team. His twin sixes against Haris Rauf at the fag end of the match earned him the crown of 'King' once again. Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar knows Babar Azam's men would need to get the better of Kohli if they are to beat India. But, looking beyond the ODI World Cup, Akhtar doesn't feel Kohli should play white-ball cricket anymore.

"If They Allowed Virat Kohli To Continue As Captain...": Ex-Pak Skipper's Bold World Cup Statement

India skipper Rohit Sharma could be under a lot of focus these days. How well he marshals the Indian cricket team in the upcoming Asia Cup, which starts on August 30, and more importantly at the World Cup 2023 might well decide the course of the side. So far, Rohit has not had any big success at the global level since he took over Indian captaincy in all three formats in the last couple of years. Under Kohli too, the Indian cricket team failed to win any ICC trophy. However, former Pakistan cricket team captain Rashid Latif believes that had Kohli been the skipper going into the 2023 World Cup, India would have been much more ready.

Rahul Dravid Admits To India's Long-Tail Problem, Ex-India Star Advocates These Players' Inclusion

In T20 cricket, the Indian cricket team is still battling the long-tail problem. Even head coach Rahul Dravid admitted that there's a shortfall of all-rounders in the team. The 5th T20I between India and West Indies even saw Tilak Varma bowl, taking the prized wicket of Nicholas Pooran. While Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been backed to bowl more often by the Indian team management, even former cricketers are lining up, backing this approach by the Indian team.