"There will be teams like India and Australia who can score 400-450 as well" - Sunil Gavaskar on whether World Cup 2023 will see high-scoring games
Sunil Gavaskar feels strong batting sides like India and Australia could score more than 400 runs in an innings at the World Cup 2023.
The quadrennial 50-over extravaganza will be staged in India from October 5. The tournament will likely be played on flat pitches, with minimal assistance for the seamers, although few of the tracks could favor the spinners.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked whether he is expecting high-scoring matches at the World Cup, to which he responded:
"If the pitches are flat, I feel at least 300 runs will be scored in every match. There will be teams like India and Australia who can score 400-450 as well but I feel at least 300 runs will be scored."
The former Indian skipper reasoned:
"There are two reasons. The wickets are good where the ball comes nicely onto the bat. Your boundaries have become shorter, which means the mishits are also going for sixes. Also our modern-day players, they have the power because they go to the gym and the bat-making technique adds a lot of power to the bat."
Previous World Cups have witnessed four 400-plus totals. Australia (417/6 vs Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup) and India (413/5 vs Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup) have achieved the milestone once apiece. South Africa have crossed the 400-run mark twice, smashing 411/4 and 408/5 against Ireland and West Indies respectively in the 2015 edition.
"He is a very good batter" - Sunil Gavaskar picks Babar Azam among the players he is excited to watch in World Cup 2023
Sunil Gavaskar was further asked to name a few of the players he is excited to watch, to which he replied:
"Babar Azam because he is a very good batter. Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan, he is another. I would like to see Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips from New Zealand. How Trent Boult bowls as well."
The former Indian opener added:
"There are quite a few players. Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad from Afghanistan. From Sri Lanka, Karunaratne has made a comeback now in 50-overs cricket. He is also a good batter."
Gavaskar concluded by light-heartedly mentioning that he would like to watch all West Indies players, especially because of the celebrations they bring to the table. However, the 1975 and 1979 World Cup champions are unlikely to qualify for the upcoming edition of the tournament as they have been rather poor in the ongoing qualifiers.