The biggest cricket tournament in 2023 is all set to start in India in two months time. Top ten teams across the world will feature in the upcoming ODI World Cup, and England will defend their title. The tournament will start on October 5 with a match between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
India will play their first World Cup game against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. There are just two months left, and Team India has a number of areas to look into. The biggest concern is the status of the key injured players who are in rehab.
Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishan have made comebacks, while Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are on their way to recovery. Apart from that, it will be interesting to see, what India’s pace attack will be after Bumrah and Krishna are available.
Former Indian star Mohammed Kaif has revealed his playing XI for the upcoming World Cup in India. Interestingly, he didn’t pick India’s current best ODI bowler, Mohammed Siraj, in the team. In an interview with PTI, Kaif picked Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to open, and Virat Kohli at No. 3.
Then, he picked Iyer and Rahul at No. 4 and 5 (if both get fit). For all-rounders, he picked Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja next in the line-up. He also named Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur at No. 8. For bowlers, he picked Kuldeep Yadav, Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami.
He said, “You will have the two fast bowlers, Mohammed Shami and Bumrah. Even Siraj might not find a place in the XI. So it will be difficult to accommodate Siraj.” Notably, Siraj has picked up 33 wickets since 2022, which is the second-most for India. He is also the highest-ranked Indian bowler in the ODI rankings at No. 4. Kaif also named Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan as India’s backup players.
Mohammed Kaif’s World Cup XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami.
