The only two teams to have yet to lose a game in the 2023 World Cup are Team India and New Zealand, the latter of which stunned South Africa on Tuesday in Dharamsala.
With victories over Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s bitter rivals, the host nation has had an outstanding start to the competition. India now sits atop the current points standings, separated from New Zealand only by a higher net run rate thanks to the three victories.
India was considered one of the favorites to win the tournament when it was just around the corner, and they still are, justifiably, after 15 games. However, many people believed that the greatest hurdle the squad faced was the strain of living up to the expectations of being the host country. Every time India competes in an ICC event, the expectations of its 1.3 billion people are at their peak, but at home, in familiar surroundings, with hundreds of loudly cheering Indian fans at every site they play, the pressure is multiplied a million times. However, the Men in Blue handled it admirably, putting the worries to rest.
Ricky Ponting complimented
In an interview with the ICC on Tuesday, two-time World Cup champion captain Ricky Ponting complimented captain Rohit Sharma for the team, dealing with the pressure of playing in front of the fervent fans.
“He’s very laid back, Rohit. Very laid back with everything he does,” Ponting said. “You can even see that by the way that he plays. He’s a pretty laconic sort of batsman as well, and that’s the way he is both on and off the field. We can’t sit back and say that the pressure won’t get to them at some stage, or it won’t affect them, because it will, just with the enormity of the tournament. But he’ll take it and cope with it as well as probably anyone.”
Ponting continued by drawing comparisons between Rohit’s personality and that of former India captain Virat Kohli and outlined what makes the former the best choice to serve as the team’s captain during a home World Cup.
“Someone like Virat, who is a bit more heart-on-the-sleeve, and probably listens to the fans and plays up with the fans a little bit more, someone with his personality would probably find it a bit harder,” Ponting stated. “However, I believe Rohit will be okay with it. He is a nice guy and has been a great player for a long time, and he has led India admirably.
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