Hyderabad: Former India player and cricket manager Lalchand Rajput feels that Rohit Sharma-led India should and must win the World Cup, which begins on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Lalchand Rajput, who was the cricket manager when India led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, told ETV Bharat, "If India is playing three pacers, I would love to see Mohammed Shami along with Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. I understand that batter at eight but (the team management) wants a bowler, who can bat as well. You already have batters like Hardik Pandya and then Ravindra Jadeja can also bat at (number) seven. If they are playing only two fast bowlers then spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can play at number eight."
"I think India should win the World Cup 2023, the way they have performed recently, especially in the Asia Cup final, the way they won it. We really overshadowed them(Sri Lanka) to finish a game in just two and a half hours. Also, the team looks like a team that is hungry to win the World Cup now," he added.
India led by a prolific Mohammed Siraj, who took his career-best figures (6/21), thrashed Sri Lanka to lift the Asia Cup 2023 in the final played at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Lalchand Rajput, who represented Mumbai in domestic cricket, also mentioned that star batter Shubman Gill will be the player to watch out for India.
He stated that cricket is a team game, but there will be some guys from whom the expectations are very high. "Gill is in tremendous form, Virat (Kohli) and KL (Rahul) got a century in the Asia Cup, (skipper) Rohit (Sharma) is in the groove as well, and Shreyas Iyer batted really well and recently got a hundred. But I have a lot of expectations from Shubman Gill in the World Cup for India," added Rajput, a domestic bulwark.
Asked about Ravindra Jadeja's batting form, especially in ODIs, he said, "I'm not worried about his form because he is a match-winner. He is a bowling all-rounder and he can bat as well, and again he is a gun fielder. So he (Jadeja) has all three skills but yes of course he hasn't performed up to the expectations lately with the bat. I am sure as the matches go on, he will come good."
"When it comes to knockout games, you need to give your best and do the very best that you can do. You don't have to think about it as a semifinal or a final encounter, just take it like it's just another game. Because the moment where we start to think it is a semifinal, we put pressure on ourselves, because when you think it is a semifinal and we have to win, the pressure of what will happen and all this thing come. You just need to focus on the given match and take it as one of the games or just another game," added Lalchand Rajput.
Ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was included in the squad replacing injured Axar Patel. India will start their campaign on October 8 against Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. India will play two warm-up matches against England and the Netherlands respectively ahead of the tournament.
Also read: "He is in great form," says Ravindra Jadeja's sister Naynaba
