Vice-captain Hardik Pandya believes that Team India should keep up their current style of play and capitalize on the pressure of expectations to win the 2023 World Cup.
Today (October 8), in Chennai, Team India will begin their World Cup campaign with a pivotal match against the five-time defending champions Australia. The Men in Blue enter the major competition as the top-ranked team across all forms and are considered the odds-on favorites since the World Cup is being contested at home.
Pandya emphasized that they will play brave cricket throughout the World Cup in an interview with the ICC before to the match between Australia and India.
“We have got some world-class batters and world-class bowlers. We just need to come together, play fearless, take the pressure and expectation to our advantage and continue what we have done. It is exciting with a lot of expectations, but at the same time, we are going to get a lot of love and support and cheers which is going to get the best out of us,”
Hardik Pandya
India hasn’t achieved the ultimate objective since the 2013 Champions Trophy, despite entering ICC competitions as one of the favorites for the past few years.
In his career, Hardik Pandya has participated in two 50-over ICC events: the 2019 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy. Unfortunately, both tournaments ended with semi-final and final defeats for him.
In the 2019 World Cup, the 29-year-old player had a decent campaign. He managed to score 226 runs at an average of 32.48 and also took 10 wickets in nine matches.
“We have been No.1 (ranked side) for quite some time” – Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya emphasized the fact that India’s consistent success and top ranking in world cricket in recent years demonstrate their skill and talent. He expressed his hopes for this performance to carry over into the upcoming World Cup.
After defeating Australia 2-1 in the recent One Day International (ODI) series, Team India accomplished a significant feat. They became only the second team, following South Africa, to hold the top ranking in all three formats of the game.
“We have been No.1 (ranked side) for quite some time in recent years and it means definitely we have done really well and we just need to turn that moment into World Cups and we are confident this year we will be able to,”
Hardik Pandya
The all-rounder expressed gratitude for the chance to participate in a home World Cup for India during the prime of his career.
“I have always wanted to do a lot of good things in my life, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would reach here. It has been a blessing and a lot of good deeds done by my parents to get what I have and credit to them to see that and make sure I played the sport but at the same time, I supported. It was a dream to play for the country and I am living the dream,” he concluded.
Hardik Pandya
Earlier this year, Team India experienced a significant setback with a 209-run defeat in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. However, it’s worth noting that the last three ODI World Cup tournaments, dating back to 2011, saw the home team emerge victorious. This provides some consolation for Rohit Sharma’s men.