It has been a decade since India secured an ICC trophy, with their last triumph being in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. The ODI World Cup was last clinched by the Men in Blue in 2011, under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
After a hiatus of 12 years, India are set to host the World Cup once again. The team will be led by Rohit Sharma this time. India will enter the mega tournament as the frontrunners and hot favourites.
TimesofIndia.com spoke to former cricketer Anjum, who played 12 Tests, 127 ODIs, and 18 T20Is in her career, about the upcoming 50-over mega tournament, Virat Kohli’s form, India’s pace attack and much more…
Who are Anjum Chopra’s four World Cup semi-finalists?
That’s a tough one. That’s an unfair one. Even before the World Cup has begun, 10 teams are there and everyone’s got an equal chance of lifting the trophy. If we really think through, what’s the sustainability, how the teams are matched, I guess looking at Australia, the way they are playing, looking at New Zealand, the way they are performing. You can never keep England out of the equation. You can never keep Pakistan out. We want India to win. So looking at all these, it’s difficult to pick four. So, I named 5. It’s unfair to say that these are my top four. Obviously, it’s not about the top four. I would want India to win the tournament, but one game at a time.
India recently won the Asia Cup. How much of a boost will it be for Rohit Sharma and his team heading into the big tournament?
It is already history. They won it. It is good for them because the confidence comes in. As a team, you have won a tournament, a recognisable tournament before coming into the World Cup. But then again, they’ll be facing Australia (in their World Cup opener). The World Cup is one of those kinds of tournaments which has a very different feel. The moment you step in, the moment that kit arrives, the moment you’re in a World Cup event, it’s very different. The World Cup is a different ball game altogether. It’s just about peaking at the right time collectively as a team. And with the win of the Asia Cup, you just feel that they’ve just started peaking at the right time.
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Who are two key players you think who could play a big role for captain Rohit Sharma?
Rohit himself. Apart from that, if I look towards the batting side, I would obviously feel that Virat Kohli. He’s obviously a world-class player. You just say Virat Kohli and you can just keep adding the reasons behind this. Apart from Virat Kohli, I also say Shubman Gill. These two players (Virat and Gill) can really make strong impressions. Of course, Shubman idolises Virat. Virat has reminded us repeatedly how good he is. But if you look at the bowling front, I’ll still say that, the contribution of the all-rounders – both Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja – will be immense.
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Do you think Ishan should keep the wickets and KL should bat and field (in the World Cup)?
It’s very clear from the Indian team management’s perspective that they’re backing KL Rahul to keep the wickets and also be the front-runner as a keeper batter, but that’s one part of it. I think if you can get both Ishan and KL it’ll be ideal, but then somebody will need to miss out. So, pick and choose will be between Surya Kumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer. Playing another extra bowler will be a reason too. It’ll be difficult to squeeze both (Ishan and KL) in.
Is India’s middle order a concern?
No. It’s nothing like that. I think we have got one of the best middle-order batting lineups. Yes, there’ll be fitness concerns. There have been some fitness concerns with Shreyas Iyer, but if everyone’s fit and raring to go, then I don’t think there is any concern in the middle order as well. We have got batters like Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, and Surya Kumar Yadav. There are players who are waiting to get into this lineup. Ishan Kishan is the one who is vying for a slot. I don’t think this is a concern. I don’t think our middle order is weak in any way.
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Is India’s pace attack going to be one of the best at the World Cup?
You asked me about how India’s batting is. Indian bowling has also been excellent. We have already seen what Siraj has done. It’s just about one person shining on each day and whether it’s Bumrah, whether it’s Siraj, whether it’s Shardul, whether it’s any of the spinners doing the job for the team. It’s a very nice and experienced team getting into this World Cup. You can say enough matches are there behind every player.
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How would you rate India’s chances this time, since they are playing at home?
Playing at home is obviously an advantage because you know the conditions well enough. To win, you need to take one game at a time. You don’t climb the ladder at once, you climb the ladder one after another. The teams who are coming to India to play the World Cup, all have qualified to play this tournament, they are world beaters. You just can’t write any team off. They all are favorites to win the tournament.
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How big a setback will it be if India don’t manage to win the World Cup?
You feel bad. You feel dejected. You feel frustrated and you move on. It is not that the World Cup won’t come again. It is not that you will not play again. It is a contest, it is a game. There can only be one winner. You just move on. You don’t have to hold things back. The next day, you get up, rise up again, and prepare for the next big event. And if India wins the World Cup, then it is not the end. You need to rise up the very next day because there will be a World Cup to defend.