Harbhajan Singh Reveals His Dream ODI Opening Pair, Picks Four Semifinalists For ICC World Cup 2023
Published - 04 Oct 2023, 04:59 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:19 AM
Ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Harbhajan Singh was asked a number of questions regarding ODI cricket. He and his former teammate Anil Kumble were asked the questions and they duly answered.
The India greats were first asked about the ‘first name on your ODI team sheet’ from the current cricketers. In reply, Anil Kumble told ESPNcricinfo he would pick England allrounder Ben Stokes while Harbhajan Singh went with India batting superstar Virat Kohli.
The former India spinner was then asked to pick his dream opening pair. In reply, he picked India’s current openers, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. When asked to pick the finisher for his team, Harbhajan Singh picked Suryakumar Yadav who recently showed his finishing abilities in ODIs by scoring a whirlwind half-century against Australia.
The next question was to pick the new-ball bowler for his side and the best death bowler in the 50-over format. In reply, the World Cup winner picked Jasprit Bumrah for both the questions. On the other hand, Kumble picked Shaheen Afridi as his new ball bowler before he went with Bumrah as the best death bowler in the world. Both the former cricketers then picked Shubman Gill as the youngster who would light up the ODI World Cup.
Harbhajan Singh on World Cup semifinalists:
During the same Question-Answer session, Harbhajan Singh was also asked to pick his four semifinalists for the 2023 ODI World Cup. In reply, he went with India, Australia and England. For the fourth semifinal spot, the former off-spinner said ‘whoever plays well’.
The highly-anticipated ODI World Cup is scheduled to get underway on Thursday (October 5). In the tournament opener, England and New Zealand will lock horns against each other in a replay of the last edition’s final. The match is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
India, on the other hand, will launch their campaign on Sunday (October 8) against five-time world champions Australia in Chennai. A total of ten teams are participating in the World Cup – India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The final is scheduled to take place on November 19.
