England's star all-rounder Sam Curran has surprisingly overlooked the defending champions and picked India as a strong contender to win the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
India will be hosting the ODI World Cup for the first time as a solo host, and Curran said that the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team is well aware of their home conditions; therefore, there are high chances of them becoming champions after more than 12 years.
Notably, the ODI World Cup 2023 will kick off with the clash between defending champion England and runner-up New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5. On the other hand, India will start its CWC 2023 campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
Sam Curran told GQ Magazine: “I feel like India being the home side, and with it being their conditions, they’re probably the favorites.”
The star all-rounder also revealed that Gus Atkinson, who was named in England’s World Cup 2023 squad as Jofra Archer’s replacement, has been inquiring a lot about Indian conditions, culture, and people of India.
Curran said, “Cricket’s a religion (in India) so you’ve got to go with an open mind, take it all in and expect an amazing experience. For one of my good mates, Gus Atkinson, it’s his first time going to India, so he’s been asking questions about the conditions, the culture, the people, the fans.”
He signed off by saying, “People just love the game and when you leave the hotel, you get mobbed by loads of fans, which is amazing. It just shows how much people love and worship cricket in India.”
