"Pick Their Brains...": World Cup Winning Captain Advices Rohit Sharma's India To Seek Help From 2011 Champions

02.08.2023 - 12:33 sports.ndtv.com

A lot would be riding on the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team when it gets down to action at the 2023 ODI World Cup. The last tie India hosted the ODI World Cup, MS Dhoni led the 'Men in Blue' to the world title.

However, going into the World Cup, the Indian cricket team is far from settled as it continues to experiment. England's 2019 ODI World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan has said that despite the home advantage that India will do well if they take advice from the 2011 Champion team. "India is an excellent cricket team and will be favourites going into the 2023 World Cup.

Home advantage is a keen thing. My advice for them would be to engage with the people that were there (in 2011) and probably pick their brains.

It's going to be a hell of a tournament. I am looking forward to it, hoping don't have too much luck (laugh)," Morgan said on WION.

cricket India Cricket Team World Cup 2023 cup Eoin Morgan Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Australia India Pakistan

With the World Cup less than two months away, New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee says the upcoming Asia Cup will be a big part of India's preparations for the showpiece, while admitting that scheduling of T20 competitions has made it difficult for teams to align resources. India announced an extended 17-member squad for the Asia Cup starting August 30, including Sanju Samson as travelling stand-by player since KL Rahul — the preferred wicketkeeper-batter at No. 5 — has picked up a niggle to his original injury.

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Indian cricket team's 17-man line-up for the Asia Cup 2023 was announced in a press conference on Monday. Skipper Rohit Sharma and BCCI chief selector announced the squad at a press conference. The duo also announced quesries regarding India's squad for the continental event and the subsequent World Cup 2023 at home. One query that came Rohit's was the dearth of bowling options in the team apart from the specialist bowlers. Rohit replied to the query in an unique way.

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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.

"Kohli, Rohit Won't Stay For Long": Harbhajan Singh's Blunt World Cup Selection Take

India's tour of West Indies could've served some youngsters the platform to showcase their credentials at the highest level but it didn't paint a convincing picture in the minds of the cricketing fraternity, especially considering the forthcoming ODI World Cup. As the Indian team's composition and roles of players still remain uncleared, former cricketers are sharing their views on the Indian squad and preferences for different roles in the team. For India's legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh, the defeat against West Indies in the T20I series wa s shocker, and it seems to have played a role in him deciding which players should be picked for the ODI World Cup.

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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.