Sri Lanka and the Netherlands have qualified for the ODI World Cup 2023, and with this final, ten teams have been decided. This edition of the World Cup will be played in India, starting from October 5 until November 19. This will be the first time that India will host the entire tournament. Earlier, India co-hosted the event in 1987, 1996, and 2011 with other countries.The finals of the World Cup will be played at the prestigious Narendra Modi Stadium, while the semi-finals will be played in Mumbai and Kolkata. Team India have had a disappointing run in ICC events recently, so all eyes will be on them in the event. Last June, the team lost its second consecutive World Championship final. Earlier, they lost to New Zealand and then to Australia.
Ganguly names semi-final contender
Recently, in an interview, former BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly chose five teams that have a chance to make it to the semi-finals of this big event. He said “it is difficult to say which team would qualify for the finals, but I’ll say Australia, India, and New Zealand also cannot be underestimated in these important matches. I will include Pakistan too, it would be better if we qualify so that we can see the epic battle of India vs Pakistan in the semi-finals at Eden Gardens.
Ganguly on India’s failure in knockouts
India will first have the league match against Pakistan on October 15, which is one of the most anticipated matches this year in the World Cup. Ganguly also commented on India’s struggle in knockout matches and said, “We don’t do well sometimes, especially in critical stages. I don’t think it is about mental pressure but it is all about execution. They are mentally strong people. At Least we qualified for the WTC finals, which is also an achievement, and we have a good chance with plenty of quality players.
Pressure is always there, when the team played earlier, there was pressure. Rohit Sharma scored five centuries in the previous World Cup, and there was definitely pressure on him at that time. So it is not a problem. They will definitely find a way to be victorious. During Rahul David’s playing era, there was a lot of pressure to perform, and now he is the Head Coach. The pressure on him to deliver is also here.
Also Read:- TENSE EXCHANGE BETWEEN STEVE SMITH AND JONNY BAIRSTOW DURING ASHES TEST AT HEADINGLEY