'If You Play Some…' - Sunil Gavaskar Compares This India Side To 1983's WC Champions
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar | Source: Twitter
The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently announced the schedule of the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be played in India later this year.
The tournament opener is set to take place between the finalists from the last edition, England and New Zealand, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, Australia will be India's first opponent in the marquee event as they begin their campaign at Chepauk in Chennai on Sunday, October 8.
Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian cricketer, shared his thoughts on India's World Cup schedule.
During a conversation on Star Sports, Gavaskar highlighted the advantage for India in starting their World Cup campaign against a tough opponent like Australia, as it prevents them from a must-win match with them in the later stages of the league, which could be even more challenging.
"Absolutely. It would have been even more difficult if you were to play Australia in a must-win last match. I feel it is always an advantage to play against the good teams first."
Furthermore, the member of the 1983 World Cup team pointed out that playing against relatively weaker teams towards the end of the league phase will elevate their qualification chances.
"If you don't get a good result, you have chances later. If you probably play against some weak team later, you will know what you need to do against them and with what margin you need to win."
Notably, the Men in Blue will be up against qualifiers in two of their last three league matches, offering them an opportunity to stage a comeback if they face any unfavourable results at the beginning of the World Cup.
We defeated defending champions in 1983: Sunil Gavaskar
The former Indian batter then took a trip down memory lane, recalling the victorious 1983 World Cup journey that began with a rain-affected game against defending champions West Indies.
"In 1983 we played the first match against the West Indies. They were the defending champions and we defeated them. It was a two-day game because it had rained and the play resumed on the next day. There also we registered a win. The self-confidence increased because of that as till then our performance in World Cups wasn't anything special. We hadn't won even one match until then."
Rohit Sharma & Co. will be playing across nine of the 10 World Cup venues across the nation. They will lock horns with their arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, October 15 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
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