India will host World Cup 2023 at home (AP Photo)
The Indian cricket team is slated to play their first World Cup tournament on home soil since 2011. Last time around, the Men in Blue earned an empathic World Cup victory after 28 years courtesy of MS Dhoni who finished it off with a massive six over long-on.
In his YouTube channel, the former Proteas captain AB de Villiers believes that India have picked up a strong squad ahead of the ODI World Cup that can challenge even the best of the lot. However, the 39-year-old admits that the pressure of being a home side can certainly get to them.
"I think India's squad is incredible, really, really strong. Captain Rohit, Hardik Pandya [is the] vice-captain. The only worry I have for India is playing at home."
Furthermore, de Villiers also shares a piece of advice to the Indian team to combat the pressure of being the home side and replicating the 2011 World Cup triumph. He urges the men in blue to be fearless and focus only on those elements that can be under control.
"But go fearless. And that is exactly the word I'm talking about. Forget about the pressure of the nation, that's something you can't control. Control what you can control. Fearless is the word I'm looking for in the Indian squad. If they can do that, they'll go a long way and most probably lift that trophy."
On a separate note, the former South African batter is looking forward to seeing Suryakumar Yadav unravel his true batting potential in the upcoming World Cup edition.
De Villiers advises that the talented T20 batter should look to bring about a minor tweak in his technique to better adapt to the 50-over format. He remains confident that SKY will get a chance to flourish with the bat and bring his A-game to the fore in this upcoming high-octane World Cup tournament.
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