India have a side that’s good enough to win ODI World Cup 2023: Tom Moody

Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody reckons India has a side that is good enough to win the forthcoming ODI World Cup 2023. India’s World Cup squad was announced on Tuesday by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel.

The Rohit Sharma-led team has been a force to reckon with in bilateral series while playing at home but they have failed to bring their best in the knockout stages of the ICC major events. Team India will aim to make the most of their own conditions and go all the way in the quadrennial event.

In the 2019 World Cup, India had topped the league stage but lost to New Zealand in the semifinals. Moody reckons a lot will depend on the fitness of India’s fast bowling unit, especially Jasprit Bumrah, who recently returned to action at the top level. Bumrah took four wickets in two T20Is against Ireland whereas Shami played against Nepal after a long time in the Asia Cup.

“Yes, I think they have a side that’s good enough to win the World Cup. I think home advantage will be a big one for India, but I bring that point around the fitness. The fitness of Bumrah and Shami is absolutely key to me as both of them are high-quality new ball bowlers,” Moody said while speaking exclusively to Star Sports on the Selection Day show.

“I think a lot of it depends on the fitness and longevity of Bumrah. I think he holds such an important key for India because he has such high quality and impacts the game early and also closes the innings. And I see that it’s basically going to be a difficult World Cup with regards to making sure that you keep your bowlers fit. It’s a long campaign, but India certainly have got diversity in their side. It’s just the case of them making sure they have their key players fit, particularly their bowlers,” Moody added.

India certainly has the experienced players in their squad to get the job done and they will be looking to go all the way. India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on October 8.

India 15-man squad for World Cup

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.