ICC World Cup 2023: India Under Huge Pressure Being Hosts Of World Cup - Wasim Akram

Former Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram emphasized that the Indian cricket team will face added pressure in the ODI World Cup 2023 as the host nation. Wasim Akram believes the pressure of playing a mega tournament at home will be a significant challenge for any team in the world.

The 13th edition of the ODI World Cup will be held in India from October to November. It marks the first ICC ODI tournament solely hosted in India. The highly anticipated tournament will witness India facing arch-rivals Pakistan at the iconic Ahmedabad Stadium on Sunday, October 14.

Mohammed Shami Is Bowling Like A Dream – Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram feels that Jasprit Bumrah can make a huge impact for his team if he remains fit for the marquee tournament later this year.

“Of course… India have Mohammed Shami, who is very impressive and is bowling like a dream, but Bumrah needs to remain fit. I don’t know what his situation is in terms of fitness but if he is fine, it will make a huge different. Besides, they have really good spinners and all-rounders – Jadeja, Ashwin – let’s see who plays.

There have been some really good players coming from India, but there are certain disadvantages of home ground. In 2011, India won, but there is always an extra added pressure. Same with Pakistan. If they were the hosts, the pressure would be on them. Vice-versa,” Akram said on Radio Haanji.

Jasprit Bumrah recently started bowling at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. The right-arm pacer was named captain of India’s second-string team for the T20I series against Ireland, which is set to be played between August 18 and 23.

Just Play And Don’t Worry About It – Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram emphasized that players should not worry about the venues and just focus on playing the game regardless of the location.

“See, I said this earlier as well. If I am asked to play on a certain date and at a certain venue, I have to play. Be it Ahmedabad, or Chennai, or Kolkata, or Mumbai… this does not affect players. So just play and don’t worry about it,” he concluded.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed concerns over the World Cup schedule, stating that they didn’t want to face India in Ahmedabad. They also requested that the ICC change the venue of their matches against Australia and Afghanistan.