India will hope to lift the World Cup trophy in November, but ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain believes they are not the “clear favorites.”
With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 set to take place in India, the country is abuzz with excitement. India's last stint as the host nation was back in 2011 when they clinched the title.
The WC returns to India twelve years later, with several former cricketers suggesting that the home-ground advantage might play a crucial role for the Indian team.
Rohit Sharma and his squad exhibited a strong cricketing display in the Asia Cup. They faced an unexpected defeat, however, in their last match against Bangladesh, even though they had rested their star players. The team's performance left room for improvement.
Bangladesh beat India in the Asia Cup after 11 long years. pic.twitter.com/YRtSj7bjTW
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 15, 2023
Nasser Hussain on India’s World Cup chances
Nasser Hussain, the former captain of the England cricket team, believes that India will carry the tag of favorites in the WC, but he doesn't see them as the only contender for glory.
“They're favorites but they're not clear favorites because of the amount of quality sides there are,” Hussain pointed out.
“If you look at their squad, they have two of the greatest white ball batters to ever play the game in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Shakib talks up Bangladesh chances at WC 2023
“They have a potential future great in Shubman Gill and Bumrah coming back is fantastic news. So if you look at their batting and bowling, it's right up there among one of the best squads.
“An area where they lack is if you look at the batters, they don't bowl and the bowlers don't bat. So the side has a different make-up to England and Australia with all the all-rounders.”
