India has made a scintillating start to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, securing victories in all three of their matches. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, they triumphed over Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, propelling them to the top of the points table with six points from three games.
As the hosts of this prestigious event, the Men in Blue are the frontrunners to clinch the coveted trophy and end their 12-year-long drought in ICC events.
Renowned former Australian captain Ricky Ponting shared his insights on India’s impressive run in the tournament, emphasizing that it was expected given the talent on their roster. However, he noted that a single off day could increase the pressure on the team.
Ponting commented, “With the individual players that they have got, it’s going to take one bad game as a team and as an individual for the pressure to rise. Obviously, they’ve got off to a great start and they will be happy with that.”
Assessing India’s team composition, the three-time World Cup winner observed that they have a well-rounded squad, covering all aspects of the game, including fast bowling, spin, and strong batting at the top and in the middle order. He expressed that they would be a formidable force but emphasized that their true test would be performing under intense pressure.
“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. We can’t sit back and say that the pressure won’t get to them at some stage, or it won’t affect them, because it will, just with the enormity of the tournament,” Ponting added.
Looking ahead, India is set to face Bangladesh in their next match on Thursday, October 19, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Bangladesh, on the other hand, enters the contest after suffering losses in their previous two fixtures against England and New Zealand, placing them in the seventh position on the points table.
