The 12th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup will be played in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14 and every team has almost finalized its squads for the quadrennial event. The tournament will be played in a round robin league format seeing the 10 teams playing each other once, meaning that this is one of the most open tournaments in recent history.
Many former cricketers have been sharing their picks to win the tournament or at least make it to the final four for the semi-finals. England has been picked by almost every cricket expert and since Australia will be defending their title in England and Wales, the five-time champions are also considered strong contenders to romp home another title.
However, there have been some surprises and former Indian captain Rahul Dravid has also revealed his semi-finalists of the tournament.
Dravid, who has played three World Cups – 1999, 2003 and 2007 – believes England is a strong contender and Australia has made great strides in the last few months. Also, India and Pakistan/South Africa were his choice to complete the top four.
England is hosting the tournament and have the home advantage. They are also ranked number 1 in the ICC ODI team rankings and have completely changed their game since their ouster from the 2015 World Cup, making the new world record team total of 481/6 against Australia at Nottingham in June 2018.
India, on the other hand, is ranked two in the ICC rankings and last year won their maiden ODI series in South Africa and Australia, and is the best team while chasing the target, thanks to the presence of likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.
During the conversation with Jatin Sapru at the Re-imagine Awards, Dravid said, “There is a certain pressure associated with the event. One has to accept it, it’s inevitable. Having played three World Cups, I can say it’s a fantastic event, it’s a privilege to be part of the World Cup. One has to embrace it.”
“There are going to be good and bad days, it allows to slip a bit. India has the potential and talent to learn and improve,” he added.
