Team India is desperate to win an ICC tournament, and it’s been more than a decade now since India got their hands on an ICC title. India won their last title in 2013 when MS Dhoni led the country to a win in the Champions Trophy in England.
Since then, they have made it to the knockout rounds many times but couldn’t finish it. But as India are scheduled to host the upcoming ODI World Cup at home, they will surely have a great chance to end this trophy drought. But before that, the management needs to address all the issues within the team.
One of the major issues with the team in the last couple of years has been the injuries to key players. That’s what former Indian star Mohammed Kaif feels, and he named an Indian player who is a must for India to win the World Cup.
Players like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Prasidh Krishna, and Rishabh Pant have been out of action for quite some time now. Bumrah and Krishna have been selected for the Ireland series. But their inclusion in the World Cup depends on their fitness and the game time they will have.
Especially Bumrah, who played his last game for India in September 2022 at home, will be key for the team. He missed the 2022 Asia Cup, the T20 World Cup, the IPL, and the WTC final. And it will not be a wrong statement to say that India missed him. That’s what Kaif wanted to say.
In a media interaction, Kaif said that India’s chances will depend on the comebacks of the key players who are injured. He highlighted that Bumrah is making a comeback in the team after a long time and that everything depends on the Ireland series and how fit he is because India needs a fully fit Bumrah.
He said, “India need a fully fit Bumrah to do well in World Cup at home. If Bumrah doesn’t play we will lose, like we did in Asia Cup T20 and 2022 T20 World Cup. We don’t have his backup.” He added that India is looking weak on paper without its key players, who are injured. Notably, some media reports confirmed that Rahul and Shreyas are likely to miss the upcoming Asia Cup as well.
