ICC World Cup 2023: India, England Or Australia? Suresh Raina Picks His Favourites For World Cup Title

Former India batsman Suresh Raina has revealed his pick for the favorites to win the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. The much-awaited competition will be played in India from October 5 to November 19. It will be a historic event for India as they will be hosting the tournament alone for the first time.

The last World Cup was played on Indian soil, and the Men in Blue emerged victorious. In 2011, MS Dhoni led India to glory in the ODI World Cup and ended the long 28-year wait for the title. India have not won any World Cup title since then and the Rohit Sharma-led side will be under immense pressure to deliver the title on the home side.

And while only time will be who wins the upcoming competition, Suresh Raina has picked up as many as five favorites for the tournament. Speaking at an event organized by The Times of India, Suresh Raina said that he considers India, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan as the contenders for the World Cup. Suresh Raina also said that it would be amazing if India went on to win the ongoing Asia Cup as well as the World Cup.

“It would be amazing. The last time we hosted the World Cup in India, we won it. And hopefully, we do it again. My best wishes to Rohit Sharma and the team. Just go out there and express yourself and go for the trophy,” said Suresh Raina.

Suresh Raina on India’s opponent in the final:

In recent times, India have failed to do well in knockout games. In 2014, they lost against Sri Lanka in the final of the T20 World Cup before losing to Australia in the semifinal of the 2015 ODI World Cup. In the following year, the MS Dhoni-led side lost to West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal.

In 2017, India suffered a heavy defeat against Pakistan in the final of the Champions Trophy before crashing out at the semifinal stage of the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup. India’s performances in knockout games have been a major worry but Suresh Raina believes the team can beat any side if it qualifies for the final in the upcoming World Cup.

“Koi bhi aaye, dekh lenge (whosoever is there, we will handle),” said Suresh Raina.

The former cricketer, who was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team, further picked two players who can be the trump cards for the Men in Blue. He also opined that India’s fate will depend a lot on how the top three perform.

“I think Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav will be India’s trump cards in the World Cup,” Raina said.

“Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and (Shubman) Gill, agar woh teenon perform karengey (if the three of them perform), then we have a very good middle-order. We have Hardik Pandya, we have Ishan Kishan, then we have (Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. Top three have to fire, especially Virat Kohli. He is a gun player, he is batting pretty well. If he stays probably 35-40 overs, we will have a good chance,” added Raina.

Before the World Cup, India will lock horns against Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday (September 17).