About 20 minutes late for its Sunday night arrival, the Indian squad arrived in the city for its ODI World Cup warm-up match against the Netherlands. Thousands of fans had gathered outside the airport to welcome the group as they exited the terminal by chanting “India, India” when they arrived in Kerala’s capital.
Virat Kohli did not go with the team, but head coach Rahul Dravid and Jasprit Bumrah were among the first to board the bus. But according to sources, he will be in the city in plenty of time for the practice game.
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Former Sri Lankan cricketer Farveez Maharoof feels young opening batter Shubman Gill will be the player to watch out for in the upcoming ODI World Cup. Shubman who is brimming with potential established himself as India’s opening batter for the future by ending the Asia Cup as the top scorer with 302 runs at an average of 75.50. (Cricket World Cup 2023: ‘Rohit Sharma, Watch Your Pads,’ Dale Steyn Warns India Captain For Shaheen Shah Afridi – Watch)
He backed his performance in the recently concluded series against Australia, Shubman showcased his prowess with the bat with a knock of 104 in 97 balls against a fierce bowling attack.
Farveez talked about how the upcoming World Cup will be a breakout tournament for him as experienced stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continue to walk in the Twilight stage of their careers.
“It is going to be a very interesting World Cup. It’s going to be very competitive. Some teams are in really good forms and good combinations. Every country has their own star. Shubman Gill has been scoring a lot of runs. It will be a perfect opportunity for a young player like him who has been doing really well for India for the past two to three years. It will be a breakthrough tournament as he is taking the baton from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli who have done a wonderful job for India for such a long time. For me, Shubman Gill will be someone to look out for,” Farveez told ANI.
He also went on to disclose his picks for the Top-4 teams who will go on to compete in the knockout stages.
“For me, four semi-finalists would be India, England, Australia. For the fourth spot, I will probably say that three teams will fight it out for one spot that will be South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The best Player would be from either India or England,” Farveez added.
India’s first warm-up game against England in Guwahati was washed out due to rain. They will have one more opportunity to test their playing XI against the Netherlands on Tuesday before they open their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
