ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will begin from May 30 and many cricket experts consider India among the favourites and the Virat Kohli-led squad will make at least to the semifinals of the tournament. Among those experts, one is the legendary Indian all-rounder, Kapil Dev, who believes that Team India have the right balance in their squad.
At a promotional event on Wednesday, May 8, the iconic Indian cricketer said, “India has a great combination of youth and experience. In a way they are more experienced than the other teams.”
He added, “They have the right balance – four fast bowlers, three spinners and they have Virat Kohli and [MS] Dhoni.
Kapil Dev who is arguably India’s greatest fast bowling all-rounder, was all praise for the team’s pace bowling attack. He said, “The four fast bowlers we have are fantastic. The English conditions will help them swing the ball. Then players like [Mohammed] Shami and [Jasprit] Bumrah can bowl 145kph, have swing and pace.”
Kapil Dev predicted that ‘Men in Blue’ will reach the semifinals alongside hosts England and defending champions Australia.
The former all-rounder additionally stated that sides such as New Zealand and West Indies could spring a surprise in the mega event, and could possibly be the fourth team to enter the semis.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya has constantly been compared to Dev ever since he made his breakthrough into the Indian team. However, the veteran dismissed comparisons.
He said, “He is still an emerging player. Secondly, please don’t add any extra pressure on him. He’s a young talent, playing his cricket with his own free mind rather than the burden of responsibilities and comparisons. I think their natural talent is very, very important. I don’t like anybody being compared with anyone.”
He avoided answering on whether the likes of Rishabh Pant or Shreyas Iyer should be picked in case the injured Kedar Jadhav gets ruled out, adding that the task should be left to the selectors.
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