Dealing with expectations will be key in India’s home World Cup campaign: Kapil
India will go into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as title contenders and former captain Kapil Dev on Tuesday said the hosts will have to deal with the burden of expectations to lift the trophy again. Two-time champions India will be eyeing another ICC ODI World Cup win after a wait of 12 years during the October 5-November 19 tournament. “I don’t know what will happen,” Kapil said on the sidelines of an event of the Karnataka Golf Association. They haven’t even announced the squad for the World Cup yet. India always enter tournaments as favourites, and have been so for a long time.
He said, “It depends on how the team deals with the pressure of expectations from all sides. We have won the World Cup at home and I am sure whoever is picked in the team, they can do it again. The World Cup happens in four years and I hope the players are fully prepared. Kapil said considering the busy schedule of cricket at this time, importance should be given to workload and injury management. The captain of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 1983 said, “My time was different, we hardly played that much cricket. These players have been playing cricket for 10 months now.
That’s why managing the body through injuries is important. Everyone’s body is different and they need individual plans to maintain fitness.Kapil played against the West Indies team that used to dominate world cricket and expressed hope that the team would soon get back to their old glory days. He said, “It is sad to see that the West Indies are not playing the World Cup. It is difficult to imagine the ODI tournament (World Cup) without them. They have produced such wonderful players. I hope they make a comeback.
