Gautam Gambhir, 2019 World Cup
Gautam Gambhir. Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Indian National Cricket Team have finished their preparation for the ICC World Cup 2019 with a win over New Zealand in the second practice game at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. As they gear up for the tournament opener, India’s 2011 World Cup hero Gautam Gambhir feels Virat Kohli’s intensity will be key to India’s hopes of reaching the semifinal stage.

Kohli’s intensity will be crucial: Gambhir

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will be making his debut in the World Cup as a skipper. He has a massive record as an ODI skipper and will look to carry that forward. The talismanic run-scorer has defeated South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand in overseas tours and has been invincible at home. However, a recent loss against Australia posed questions, but Kohli said that there is no need to read too much into that defeat.

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Virat Kohli, Kevin Pietersen
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Gautam Gambhir wrote that India will be one of the semifinalists in the upcoming marquee tournament. However, Virat Kohli’s intensity and passion will be key to their hopes of making it to the semifinal. The cricketer turned politician picked England, Australia, and New Zealand are the other three semifinalists. While England will enter the tournament as the top-ranked ODI side, Australia and New Zealand have also done significantly well.

“I am not sure if Madame Tussauds, London, has a statue of Virat Kohli. The one in New Delhi has him. It’s a brilliant job but it misses Virat’s intensity; the energy in his pose is not there. India are one of my four semi-finalists. But for that to happen, Virat’s intensity is key,” Gambhir wrote in TOI.

ICC World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli's Intensity Will be Key to India's Semifinal Hopes, Says Gautam Gambhir
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In conclusion, Gautam Gambhir hoped for a safe and secure World Cup, considering there have been several terror incidents globally in recent years. The recent attack was on a mosque in New Zealand where Bangladesh cricketers were going for a Friday morning prayer.

“As I write this preview to this mega cricketing event, I want to share that safety of all concerned is paramount for me,” he concluded.

England and South Africa will play the curtain-raiser for the World Cup 2019 on May 30 at the Oval.

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