The excitement for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is building up rapidly as the event approaches closer every passing day. With the tournament set to kick off on October 5 in India, cricket enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting this grand spectacle. Many former players are also joining in on the excitement by sharing their predictions and insights for the marquee event. Among all, India’s former skipper Sourav Ganguly has also revealed the names of three key players for India at the ODI World Cup 2023.
It is worth mentioning that Ganguly is one of the most successful captains of India and has guided the nation to the final of the ICC World Cup back in 2003. The veteran batter was well known for his aggressive captaincy and brilliant strokeplay. Ganguly played 311 ODIs for India and has a staggering 11363 runs to his name in the format.
In a recent conversation on the ‘Backstage With Boria’ show, Ganguly expressed his opinions on the players who could be the driving force for India’s success in the World Cup. The Kolkata-born cricketer named three Indian players who could play a key role for the hosts in the 2023 World Cup.
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Sourav Ganguly names Virat Kohli among the three key players for India
Ganguly picked Virat Kohli as his first choice and began by lauding the ex-Indian captain. He noted that Kohli has been in exceptional form over the past few months and has displayed exceptional batting prowess.
The 51-year-old further named Rohit Sharma as the second key player for India in the World Cup campaign and recognized his importance, especially in the 50-over format of the game. Ganguly mentioned that the 2023 ODI World Cup could potentially be Rohit’s last in this format both as a player and skipper, emphasizing that as a seasoned campaigner, Rohit’s experience and leadership as captain will be invaluable for India.
The third player Ganguly highlighted was the young and talented Shubman Gill. Ganguly opined that Gill possesses the class and skill to stand up and deliver match-winning performances for India.
“Virat is playing very well. He has looked very good in the last few months and is batting extremely well and will be India’s go-to man along with Rohit Sharma. Rohit as captain is playing his first and last World Cup. I am speaking about the 50-over World Cup here which will come after 4 years. He could play T20 but this is a different format,” said Ganguly.
“And he too has a superb record in world cups. 5 hundred in the last World Cup where he was brilliant. Finally, it is Shubman Gill who has that class to stand up and win matches for India. Each of them will have to stand up if India has to win the tournament,” he added.
It is worth mentioning that India are currently gearing up for the Asia Cup 2023, where they will face Pakistan in their opening match on September 2.
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