NEW DELHI: The scenes from the victorious 2011 World Cup celebration, where Virat Kohli carried batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders alongside his teammates, remain a cherished and picture-perfect moment for billions of fans.
Having lost another WTC Final, Team India will be eyeing the World Cup trophy to end their long wait for an ICC trophy. The last time the Men in Blue won an ICC trophy was 10 years ago – the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
The wait has been quite long and India, at home, will go into the tournament as the big favourites.
The mega event begins on October 5 in Ahmedabad with England and New Zealand playing the opening match. India will kick off their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8.
TimesofIndia.com spoke to ‘Universe Boss’ Gayle, a veteran of 103 Tests, 301 ODIs, and 79 T20Is, and discussed the upcoming World Cup, his bonhomie with Virat, India vs Pakistan, and much more…
Gayle was present during the launch of the inaugural edition of the Indian Veterans Premier League (IVPL).
The favourites to win the 2023 World Cup according to you…
Don’t know who’s the favourite, but I can just actually give you a little bit about the top four. I think India, Pakistan, England and Australia as the 4th team. I used to say New Zealand, but I’m going to put Australia.
Will this World Cup be without two-time ODI WC champions, the West Indies? If so, that will be unfortunate…
It wouldn’t look so good. Not seeing the West Indies in the World Cup, it is going to be sad. It will be sad for the West Indies and the fans as well. Not only West Indian fans but also people who are hooked to West Indian culture. Not seeing the West Indies in this World Cup will feel so bad and sad. It’s going to be disappointing if they don’t make it to the World Cup. I’ll be gutted.
Things look a bit dim but there’s still a chance and once there’s a chance, there’s hope. So, hopefully, they can actually win all three games and hopefully, some miracle happens, some hiccup happens with the points table and they get a chance as well. But it’s going to be difficult, but let’s hope things can change for the better for the West Indies.
In 2011, India won the World Cup and the players said it was for Sachin Tendulkar. Do you think there will be a similar sentiment this time in the team maybe for Virat Kohli?
Virat Kohli still has another World Cup in him. I don’t think this is going to be his last World Cup. I think he has another World Cup in him. India are favourites, they play at home as well. So, it’s going to be very interesting. We want to see the team they’re actually going to select.
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