Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta. Image-Twitter

Former India wicketkeeper, Deep Dasgupta says that Virat Kohli’s side is so well-equipped that even if the 2023 World Cup were to take place tomorrow, they would be amongst the major contenders for the title.

Deep Dasgupta heaps praise on the ‘healthy competition’ amongst players in the squad, as the fringe players will push the regulars to their best. He cites the example of Shikhar Dhawan – the opener is dropped from the T20 side as Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav stormed their way in and put up scintillating performances against England.

Dhawan came back stronger with a match-winning show in the ODIs; Dasgupta points out that not only KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal but players outside the squad as well – such as Devdutt Padikkal and Prithvi Shaw, both of whom had surreal Vijay Hazare season – are pushing for Dhawan’s spot in the eleven.

Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan [Image-BCCI]

“I think India are in a very good position as far as ODIs are concerned, they will be in the top 3. Also, the heartening thing is the way the youngsters delivered. They are pushing people who are incumbent. For example, Shikhar, someone like Padikkal, Shaw scoring those runs in Vijay Hazare Trophy. You already have Mayank (Agarwal), KL (Rahul). There is a healthy competition there. It augurs well for Indian cricket,” Deep Dasgupta told India Today.

“Also, the World Cup is going to happen in 2023 November, even if the World Cup is going to happen tomorrow, India are still one of the favourites to win it. In 2023, things will only get better,” he added.

India should play the way India knows to play: Deep Dasgupta

While India defeated England in the ODI series by a 2-1 margin, there have been calls for the batting line-up- to play with more aggression at the top; skipper Virat Kohli himself has spoken highly about batting with attacking intent.

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However, the 43-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator believes that the Men in Blue should stick to their batting approach – which is to bat conservatively at the start and keep wickets, and then explode towards the end – as India fell short of a total they would have expected in the 3rd ODI, though they won the game.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Image Credit: Twitter)

“I think India should play the way India knows to play. There is this tendency just because England plays in a certain manner, going hard at the top, because they also have the resources. But we don’t necessarily have to follow that.

“The players we have, like Shikhar, Rohit and Virat, their strike rate would be around 80 but by the time they play 30-40 balls, their strike would be 120. So it is not necessary, do you have to follow,” Deep Dasgupta further stated.

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