The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is all set to start this week. England and New Zealand will battle in the tournament’s opener on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Ten participating teams are playing the warmup matches to get used to the conditions offered.
Every team will play nine matches at the group stage, and the top four will qualify for the semi-finals. The Indian team will start their campaign on October 8 with a game at Chepauk Stadium against the five-time champion Australia in Chennai. India won the World Cup last time when they hosted the mega event in 2011.
It was MS Dhoni that led the country to their second World title, beating Sri Lanka in the final. Rohit Sharma and his team will be on a mission to repeat that success. The coming World Cup 2013 will be the final tournament for some veteran Indian superstars.
Virat Kohli can also be one of those. That is why former Indian opener Virender Sehwag reckons that India needs to celebrate Virat’s career, carry him on the shoulder, and get the round of the ground.
In an interaction with Cricbuzz, Sehwag said, “Kohli didn’t score a single century in the 2019 World Cup; this year, I hope he scores many hundreds and ends up as the leading run-scorer in the competition. Then, I want him to be carried on the shoulders and get a round of the ground.”
Virat was part of the 2011 World Cup that India won, and it was the last World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar. As a result, the whole Indian team gave him such a reception, carried him on the shoulders, and completed the round of the ground. Sehwag said that India should do something similar if they win the World Cup this time around.
The former opener also said that Rohit Sharma has also been a brilliant servant of Indian cricket and needs to end with glory. He said both Virat and Rohit deserve to win the World Cup. Team India will enter the tournament as one of the favorites to win, but only time will tell.
