Asia Cup Win Is Already History: Anjum Chopra On Asia Cup Triumph Boosting India's World Cup Hopes

One of the reasons why India are considered by many as strong favourites to win the ODI World Cup this year is their triumph in the Asia Cup last month. The Indian team had faced severe criticism after the poor display in the limited-overs series against West Indies a few weeks ago.

But the stunning displays in the Asia Cup have once again made them one of the favourites for the ODI World Cup. In the Super 4 stage of the competition, India inflicted a heavy 228-run defeat on arch-rivals Pakistan before comfortably managing to defend a modest total of 213 runs against Sri Lanka.

They did lose a close game against Bangladesh but they were without a number of key players for the game. In the final, India bowled out Sri Lanka for a record total of 50 runs and went on to win the game by 10 wickets to win the Asia Cup for a record-extending eighth time.

Anjum Chopra on India’s Asia Cup triumph:

While the victory in the Asia Cup has made India favourites for the World Cup too, former India women’s team captain Anjum Chopra believes that it would not be of too much importance.

Speaking to the Times of India, she stated that while the victory would have boosted the team’s confidence, it is already history. The former cricketer-turned-commentator opined that the World Cup is completely different before saying that India have started peaking at the right time.

“It is already history. They won it. It is good for them because the confidence comes in. As a team, you have won a tournament, a recognisable tournament before coming into the World Cup. But then again, they’ll be facing Australia (in their World Cup opener),” said Anjum Chopra.

“The World Cup is one of those kinds of tournaments which has a very different feel. The moment you step in, the moment that kit arrives, the moment you’re in a World Cup event, it’s very different. The World Cup is a different ball game altogether. It’s just about peaking at the right time collectively as a team. And with the win of the Asia Cup, you just feel that they’ve just started peaking at the right time,” she added.

The ODI World Cup will begin on Thursday (October 5) with the clash between England and New Zealand. India will open their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.