"We have the players to win the tournament" - Mohammad Kaif on India's chances at the 2023 World Cup
Mohammad Kaif is optimistic about India's chances of winning the 2023 World Cup at home.
India will be hosting the ODI World Cup for the first time since their victorious run in the 2011 edition. They will begin their campaign with a clash against Australia in Chennai on October 8 and will hope to go all the way to end their ICC title drought since 2013.
During an interaction on 'Virtual Encounters' on DD India, Kaif was asked how he sees India's chances at the 2023 World Cup, to which he responded:
"India's chances are quite bright because playing at home, we know the conditions better compared to other teams. Spinners might be able to play a bigger role. We have the players to win the tournament."
However, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that a lot will depend on how batting stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma fare in the tournament:
"The challenging part for India will be that you need to have all the senior players ready, fitness-wise and form-wise. Bowling should be okay I guess. If we can bat well, we will be a tough side to beat. If we talk about Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, all these senior players have to stand up and win matches."
India have been let down by their esteemed batting lineup in crunch games of recent ICC events. Kohli and Rohit will want to make amends for their failures in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, which the Men in Blue lost to bow out of the tournament.
"I think we need Bumrah" - Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif reckons Jasprit Bumrah could hold the key to India's chances at the World Cup:
"If we can add Bumrah in the squad, he has been injured for the last few months now, now they are saying he might be back for the Asia Cup, so it's good news. I think we need Bumrah. Rohit Sharma as a captain has probably missed Bumrah a lot."
The former Indian batter believes the unconventional pacer's presence will give the hosts a formidable bowling lineup:
"Since he became the captain of India, he has not had the services of Bumrah, who is the best bowler in the world. I hope Bumrah comes back and then India will be hard to beat at home. Siraj and Shami have been doing well recently. If you add Bumrah, you will be a great bowling side and then you have Jadeja, Kuldeep, Chahal."
Kaif concluded by stating that the semi-final and the final are the only two crucial games for India to win the World Cup. He added that he doesn't see Rohit Sharma and Co. not qualifying for the semi-finals and that the challenge will be to beat strong sides like England and Australia in the knockout games.