ICC World Cup 2023: "I See India Qualifying For The Semis, But It’s The Challenge Post The Semis..." - Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar predicted that the Rohit Sharma-led team would advance to the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 at home. Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted that the selectors picked the best squad for the marquee event from the options they had.

On Tuesday, September 5, the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) announced the 15-member preliminary squad for the World Cup. Young batter Tilak Varma and pacer Prasidh Krishna, who were part of India’s Asia Cup squad, failed to make it into the squad for the World Cup.

The Selectors Have Done A Good Job – Sanjay Manjrekar

Speaking to Star Sports on the Selection Day show, Sanjay Manjrekar emphasized that the real challenge will be in the knockout stage, given the strong teams in the competition. However, Manjrekar stated that India’s side is strong enough to win the World Cup.

“Yes, I think the selectors have done a good job considering the options that they had. The planning is good, now it’s all about the execution in the main game.

“I see India qualifying for the semis, but it’s the challenge post the semis that India will have to contend with. There are some good sides around; we’ve had a glimpse of some of the squads. It’s not going to be easy, but yes, it’s a good enough side to win the World Cup,” Manjrekar said.

The Men in Blue dominated in the group stage of the 2019 ODI World Cup, finishing top of the table. However, they suffered a heartbreaking defeat against New Zealand in the semifinal match.

India Set To Kick Off World Cup Campaign On October 8

The much-awaited World Cup will be played between October 5 and November 19 in India. The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with every team playing against all nine other teams. The top four teams in the points table will advance to the playoff stage of the event.

The team led by Rohit Sharma will commence their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8. India will face archrivals Pakistan at the world’s largest cricket stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, on October 14.

India’s Squad For World Cup

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav

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