"India will always be favourite" - Sourav Ganguly on Men in Blue's clash vs Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that the Men in Blue will always be the favourites when they lock horns with Pakistan in a big tournament.
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to take on each other in at least two matches at the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. Speaking about the fixtures, Ganguly pointed out how India have an impressive record over their neighbours in major competitions.
The 51-year-old made these remarks during an interview with RevSportz. He said:
"India will always be favourite in bigger tournaments. History says that. We have always had the better of Pakistan. But this Pakistan is a good team."
Following the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan will also compete against each other in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 later this year. Ganguly also spoke about the possibility of the two Asian teams battling it out in the semi-final at Eden Gardens, adding:
"I hope so (Eden Gardens hosting India-Pakistan semi-final). We are extremely happy to have five matches at the Eden Gardens. I must thank the BCCI and Jay Shah for giving us the semi-final. I had spoken to him, and I am sure the Cricket Association of Bengal must have spoken to him a number of times about the matches."
"Eden Gardens is a great venue – 60-70,000 capacity, and that also plays a huge role. We will upgrade it to around 100,000 in the next two years. Extremely happy because the World Cup is a big event, and Eden has hosted big matches in the past also."
Notably, Eden Gardens is scheduled to host the second semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The knockout fixture will be played on November 16.
"He has won five IPL" - Sourav Ganguly optimistic about Rohit Sharma leading India to World Cup win
Sourav Ganguly further pointed out that Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has proved his mettle as a captain by winning five Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies for Mumbai Indians (MI).
Expressing confidence in Sharma's leadership, he added:
"Just win it. He has won five IPLs, which is not easy also. So hopefully, he can do it for India in this World Cup."
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Rohit Sharma and Co. will open their ICC World Cup 2023 campaign on October 8 with a clash against Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.