ICC World Cup 2019 | India are the number one team in the World Cup, claims Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is confident about India’s chances at the upcoming ODI World Cup in England and is optimistic that Virat Kohli & Co. have it in them to lift the ICC trophy this year. Chahal added that the presence of Kohli and MS Dhoni will be an added bonus for the young Indian squad in England.
The Indian cricket team will definitely enter the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup as favourites along with hosts’ England and defending champions - Australia. Under the guidance of Ravi Shastri, the Indian team have moved to number one spot in the Test and T20I rankings and are second in the ODI rankings behind England.Â
India wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is optimistic that the young and determined Indian squad can do wonders in the 2019 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup which starts on May 30. Chahal added that England will be the second favourites behind India while he backed New Zealand and Australia to also provide tough competition.
"For me, India are number one. We have a balanced and strong team. We have the best team. Apart from us, England are strong, because they are the hosts and they have played good cricket recently. Australia and New Zealand are the other teams who can be very competitive in my opinion.
"I know, there are lots of expectations from us. Again, the pressure is there but I know how to handle it. You should know how to handle pressure and this is what I have learnt over the years. At this moment, the focus is very important. I am not thinking about anything else right now. Only the World Cup is on my mind. I just want to go and perform," Chahal said in a recent interview with TOI.
The 28-year old RCB cricketer further heaped praise on the current Indian batting line-up while he also singled out Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah for their recent efforts. Chahal added that the presence of Kohli and Dhoni will help the young Indian team in England.
"If you look at India’s batting line-up, it looks really strong. We have openers Rohit (Sharma) and (Shikhar) Dhawan who can give you a decent start. Kohli, Rahul, Dhoni, Jadeja are there in the middle. Our bowling is also strong. (Mohammed) Shami, (Jasprit) Bumrah, Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) make a great bowling line-up. I think India have a good chance of winning the Cup. With captain (Virat) Kohli and the legendary (MS) Dhoni in the side, I am sure India will do well in the World Cup," Chahal concluded.