‘I will pick 5 and include Pakistan also’: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly picks semi-final contenders for World Cup

The final teams for the 2023 ODI World Cup have been confirmed with Sri Lanka and the Netherlands qualifying. The ODI World Cup will begin from October 5 to November 19th in India and this will be the first time that India will be hosting the tournament solely. India had earlier co-hosted the tournament with other countries in 1987, 1996, and 2011.

The final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium whereas the semifinals will be held at Mumbai and Kolkata. The center of attraction in this tournament will be the Rohit Sharma-led side, who have been performing inconsistently in the ICC tournaments for the last few years as they recently lost to Australia in the WTC final while playing the final for the second consecutive time.

During an interaction, former India captain Sourav Ganguly chose five teams, who can reach the semifinals of this tournament. “It’s very hard to say (teams that could make the semi-finals). Australia, England, India. You can never underestimate New Zealand in these big matches. I will pick five, and include Pakistan also. Pakistan better qualify so that we will have the India-Pakistan semi-final at the Eden Gardens,” he said.

India will lock horns against their arch-nemesis Pakistan in their league stage match on October 15 and will be the one to watch out for in this World Cup. He also talked about the struggle India faces in ICC knockout matches and said, “We don’t perform well sometimes, in crucial phases. I don’t feel it is mental pressure, but all about execution. They are mentally strong people. Hopefully, they will cross the line soon. At least we qualified for the finals of the WTC, which is also an achievement. And yes, we have a chance. We have got good players, plenty of them. Hopefully, we will do it this time.”