Virender Sehwag, the former Indian batsman and member of the 2011 World Cup-winning team, has shared his predictions for the semi-finalists of the ICC World Cup 2023 in India. According to Sehwag, he believes that India (Ind) and Pakistan (Pak) will be two of the four teams to reach the last stage of the tournament. He also includes Australia and England as strong contenders for the remaining spots.
Sehwag expressed his opinions in a video that Cricbuzz uploaded to YouTube. He claimed that Pakistan and Ind have an advantage over other teams because of the favorable home environment and subcontinental surfaces that will work for their playing style.
“I think there will be two teams from the subcontinent in the top four. India and Pakistan are my picks. The other two will be Australia and England. England have played brilliantly in ODIs in recent years. If the World Cup wasn’t in India, I would have picked only one team from the subcontinent.”
Virender Sehwag
Sehwag was joined by Dinesh Karthik, who is still playing domestic cricket as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Karthik agreed with Sehwag’s prediction and said that Ind and England are the favorites to lift the World Cup trophy. Karthik said that both teams have a strong and experienced squad that can handle any challenge.
“India and England are the best placed to win the competition. They have a great chance to meet each other. The remaining two teams will be Australia and Pakistan.”
Virender Sehwag
The highly anticipated World Cup 2023 is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, October 5th. The opening match will witness a thrilling showdown between the two finalists from the previous edition, England and New Zealand. The exciting clash will take place at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Virender Sehwag: India should win World Cup 2023 for Rohit and Virat
In the same video, Virender Sehwag expressed his belief that Ind has a formidable lineup capable of winning the World Cup.
He highlighted the example of how the Indian cricket team secured the prestigious trophy for Sachin Tendulkar in 2011, implying that the current team should strive to replicate this success for senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He further expressed:
“India have the firepower to win the World Cup. The team combination is fantastic, with all the boxes checked. If India fail to win the World Cup now, what will happen in the next edition where the senior players won’t be there? We won in 2011 for Sachin Tendulkar, and I think we should win this World Cup for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.”
Virender Sehwag
On Sunday, October 8, Rohit Sharma and his team will kick off their World Cup 2023 campaign by facing Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.