Veteran batter Suresh Raina is confident that India will replicate the 2011 World Cup glory this year too as the mega ICC tournament will be played in India. The last three winners of the ODI World Cup were the host nation as it started with India winning the 2011 ODI World Cup, followed by Australia winning at MCG in 2015 and then England lifting their maiden trophy at Lord’s in 2019.
Raina suggested that the expectations are high whenever India play at home but they have an opportunity to emulate the success of the 2011 showpiece event.
“When India are playing at home, we know how much expectation there is but the team must try and play the situation. We won the World Cup here in 2011, Australia won in Australia in 2015 and England won on home soil four years ago. There is a very good opportunity here for India to win the World Cup in front of their own fans and I am confident they can do it,” Raina told ICC.
Raina, who played a crucial role in India’s 2011 WC triumph, said that the Men in Blue have a strong bowling line-up and the return of Ravichandran Ashwin will add experience to the mix.
“I have that confidence for several reasons. We have a very good bowling line-up who know how to bowl in the conditions. Ravi Ashwin, who was part of our winning squad in 2011, is now in the squad and adds that experience, and having Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj firing again after their injuries is massive. Our pace attack complements each other well and Bumrah, in particular, is looking sorted now. He has recovered well and he is a very important player in this World Cup,” he added.
Meanwhile, talking about India’s batting line-up, Raina suggested that Virat Kohli will hold the key and as he will look to bat through the overs to guide them in the mega event.
“With the bat, Virat Kohli will anchor the show and look to bat through the overs. We also have a very solid opening pair. Shubman Gill averages over 60 in ODI cricket and Rohit Sharma has scored three double centuries in this format – and hit five centuries at the last World Cup. If the top three can bat 25-30 overs, we can easily put a lot of runs on the board,” he added.
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