India’s performance in the ongoing World Cup has been awe-inspiring, to say the least. The Rohit Sharma-led side has won eight matches comprehensively so far against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, England and South Africa.
The Men in Blue are due to face Netherlands in the last league fixture in Bangalore on November 12, while their semi-final clash is scheduled against New Zealand in Mumbai on November 15.
Impressed with India’s dominant display, former head coach Ravi Shastri has opined that this is their best chance to lift the coveted trophy else they will have to wait another three World Cups to compete for the crown.
"This country is going mad. The last time they won it was 12 years ago. They have an opportunity to do it again. The way they are playing, this is probably their best chance," Shastri said while speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast.
"If they miss out this time, they would probably have to wait another three World Cups before even thinking of trying to win it. The pool of players is such that 7-8 players are at their peak.
"This could well be their last World Cup. The way they are playing, given the conditions, they have got the team to win it," he explained.
The Indian bowling attack has run through batting line-ups in this World Cup. While the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammed Siraj has wreaked havoc with the new ball, the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav has done exceptionally well in the middle overs.
Shastri agreed with the notion that the current crop of bowlers is the greatest that India has ever had.
"It is extraordinary and it has taken time, it has not happened overnight. They have been playing with each (of them) for four to five years. Siraj joined the party three years ago.
"They know the kind of areas to hit on a consistent basis. They know it is not important to look flashy when you bowl. It is more about consistency and getting the ball in the right areas.
"In this World Cup, they have hardly bowled any short balls. If there is a short ball, it is used as a surprise weapon. 90 per cent of the time they have been targeting the stumps like you must do in India hitting those three-quarters lengths.
"Because of their seam positions, they are getting the ball to nip around and that is causing a lot of problems. It is the best attack in 50 years ever since white-ball cricket started," Shastri remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
