ICC World Cup 2019: Gulbadin Naib Rates India As One Of The Favourites

Indian National Cricket Team have made a stunning start to their ICC World Cup 2019 campaign winning three of their first four matches while one ended in a washout. As the Men in Blues gear up for the Afghanistan clash, the opponent skipper Gulbadin Naib has downplayed rating India as one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Naib picks India as one of the favourites

Afghanistan, however, had a contrasted World Cup so far losing all their games and finding them in the bottom of the points table. They have mainly struggled due to weak links in the fielding and poor bowling effort. Rashid Khan has been mild in this World Cup so far which has hurt them badly in the marquee event. The Gulbadin Naib-led side need to produce an improved effort to make a complete turnaround.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: I Became More Positive After World Cup Snub – Rishabh Pant

Addressing the media on the eve of the match, Naib hailed the Virat Kohli-led side. Gulbadin Naib said that India are one of the favourites to win the trophy and they will try to put a good effort against them on Saturday at Southampton.

“India is a very good team and they are one of the favourites in the World Cup. India is a top-ranked team and we will try to showcase a good performance against them,” he said.

Also read: Watch: Shocking Moment Fan Calls Sarfaraz Ahmed Pig In Front Of His Son

Furthermore, Gulbadin Naid added that Afghanistan are still growing and have learned a lot in the last five matches. The Afghan skipper seemed happy to be among the top ten teams, and their growth has been visible in the last three-four years. Afghanistan made rapid progress in the previous few years producing good cricket in the Asia Cup and ICC World Cup Qualifiers. They will want to replicate that kind of an effort in the matches to follow.

“Everyone knows that Afghanistan is a growing team. For me, it’s good that we are among the top 10 teams. We are learning and it’s a very special experience for us. If you look at Afghanistan, you can spot the changes which have occurred in the last four to five years. There was a chance to beat Sri Lanka but we missed it,” Gulbadin added.

In conclusion, Gulbadin Naib backed Rashid Khan who had an off day in business against England shelling out 110 runs in his full quota. Naib said that the young leg-spinner has got over that and is focusing on the next match against India.