India’s 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal has opined that while he expects India to win the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 tournament which begins on August 30, he feels the Men in Blue will have stiff competition in the World Cup tournament at home due to the presence of some big teams.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka with India taking on Pakistan on September 2nd and Nepal on September 4th in Kandy.
After the Asia Cup tournament winds up, India will have a three-ODI series against Australia at home before the ICC World Cup 2023 begins on October 5 with the Men in Blue clashing with Australia on October 8 in their tournament opener in Chennai.
India is the most successful team in Asia Cup history having won the title 7 times, and hence, it was quite a shocker not to see them make it to the final of last year's tournament.
Former India all-rounder Madan Lal has no doubts that Rohit Sharma and Co. will win the Asia Cup but doesn't have the same confidence when it comes to the World Cup.
"I am sure that they will win the Asia Cup but in the World Cup, any six teams - Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa... are the 6 top teams. Everybody has a chance. We are playing at home so there is this advantage. But at the same time, it could turn into a disadvantage as well because of pressure. Thankfully, they all are experienced players and know how to handle pressure," Lal told Hindustan Times.
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India included KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in their Asia Cup squad who are coming off a long layoff, with pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna also returning to international cricket after recovering from back surgeries.
Madan Lal was concerned about the fitness level of Shreyas and Rahul, as the two do not have much match practice apart from a practice game at the NCA.
"My concern will be the fitness levels and nothing else. They are experiences, they have exposure. Definitely, if they could have played a couple of games, it could have been better in terms of confidence. They could have felt being part of the game and it would have reassured them that they are injury-free," added Lal.
The Asia Cup 2023 will see Pakistan and Nepal clash in the tournament opener in Multan on August 30.
