‘I think they’re going to be the team to beat’ – Ricky Ponting believes hosts India are ‘team to beat’ in ODI World Cup 2023
Ricky Ponting
Team India had a magnificent start to the ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, Rohit Sharma and Co. had won all three matches of the ODI World Cup 2023 and retained their number one spot in the rankings in all three formats. The Men in Blue had beat Australia in their opening game, whereas they thrashed Afghanistan in their second clash before upsetting traditional rivals Pakistan on October 14 and maintaining their winning momentum.
Meanwhile, former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting heaps praise on Rohit Sharma-led Team India owing to their fantastic performances in the ODI World Cup 2023. The legendary cricketer feels it is very hard to beat Team India owing to their fabulous batsmen, spinners, and pacers in the squad. In addition, the 48-year-old is excited to see how the Men in Blue will hold their nerves under the pressure.
“I said from the start that I think they’re going to be the team to beat. They’ve got a very talented team. They’ve got all bases covered with their fast bowling, their spin and their top-order, middle-order batting. They’re going to be extremely hard to beat. But we’ll see how they hold up under extreme pressure as well,” Ricky Ponting said.
Rohit Sharma has done a great job as leader of India: Ricky Ponting
The former top-order batsman also heaped praise on India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, and called him the great leader for guiding great wins for his side. However, the DC coach feels Virat Kohli can only focus on scoring runs this edition as he doesn’t have the capacity pressure this time in the ODI World Cup 2023.
“Someone like Virat, who is a bit more heart-on-the-sleeve, and probably listens to the fans and plays up with the fans a little bit more, someone with his personality would probably find it a bit harder. But I think Rohit will be fine with it. He’s a terrific bloke and has been a great player for a long time, and he’s done a great job as leader of India,” he added further.
