"Extremely hard for us to knock them off their perch" - Chris Woakes insists beating India will be difficult in 2023 World Cup
England's new-ball seamer Chris Woakes has insisted that India will be incredibly hard to beat on home soil in the 2023 World Cup, given that sub-continent teams will feel more at home in such conditions. However, the Warwickshire feels they have the team to compete here and win the elusive trophy for the second time.
While England are the defending champions and have a power-packed side, India are almost unbeatable at home. The Men in Blue have also made a resounding start to their campaign, winning their first two matches, including hammering Australia by six wickets in Chennai.
The 34-year-old understands that the advantage is skewed to the sub-continent teams, but England are equally motivated to come out on top. As quoted by Sky Sports, the right-arm seamer said:
"It's an incredibly tough challenge to win in India. I think the sub-continental teams will feel more at home with the conditions. That makes it extremely hard for us to knock them off their perch. But we've got the squad and the players to be able to compete. People have looked at us for a while and we've had a little bit of a target on our back as a white-ball team, around the world."
England picked themselves up with a 137-run victory over Bangladesh after New Zealand beat them by eight wickets. They will play hosts India in Lucknow on October 29th.
"I certainly feel that I would've liked to have bowled a little bit better" - Chris Woakes
Chris Woakes acknowledged that he hasn't been at his best in the 2 matches played, but is confident of peaking at the right time. He added:
"I certainly feel that I would've liked to have bowled a little bit better. But these are long competitions and you don't want to peak too soon. I have built into tournaments in the past and into series, which I suppose holds me in good stead. But you contribute every time you go out in the field. So, I'll be working hard in practice to try and make sure that I'm on the money."
England will next face Afghanistan on Sunday, October 15, in Delhi.