"Fitness of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami will be key for India": Tom Moody

MUMBAI: As anticipation builds for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, cricket experts and former players are sharing their insights and expectations for the tournament.

Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody and former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar provided valuable perspectives on India's prospects in the competition.

Their discussions revolved around the significance of key players, the selectors' decisions, and the challenges that lie ahead for India.

Speaking to Star Sports on the Selection Day show, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody said "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 the diversity in their side. It’s just the case of them making sure they have their key players fit, particularly their bowlers.” 

“Yes, I think the selectors have done a good job considering the options that they had. The planning is good, now it’s all about the execution in the main game. I see India qualifying for the semis, but it’s the challenge post the semis that India will have to contend with. There are some good sides around; we’ve had a glimpse of some of the squads. It's not going to be easy, but yes, it’s a good enough side to win the World Cup,” former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said. Additionally, Tom Moody emphasized the critical role that home advantage could play for India, while underlining the significance of the fitness of key bowlers like Bumrah and Shami. “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. India on Tuesday named a 15-player group for their home Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign. The 15-member squad will be led by Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya acting as his deputy.

India 15-player squad: 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.