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Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has expressed optimism in India's chances for the 2027 ODI Cricket World Cup, saying that with the team looking strong and having experienced stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still performing well, the trophy could come back home for the first time since 2011.
Raina spoke to ANI on the sidelines of the jersey launch of the Indian Softball Cricket League season 2. Speaking about Rohit and Virat, who breached the milestones of 12,000 and 15,000 ODI runs, respectively, recently and on India's WC chances, Raina said to ANI, "Virat is there, Rohit is there, and the World Cup is coming up. I think the team is very strong. They have scored so many runs, 2011 happened, 83 happened. It feels like it will be 2027's turn. I am sure the team will do very well." This year in nine ODIs, Virat has scored 552 runs in nine innings at an average of 69.00 and a strike rate of 117.94, with two centuries and three fifties, with a best score of 139*. During the recent ODIs against West Indies this month, he scored 168 runs across three innings, including an explosive 88-ball 139* in the first ODI while chasing 290-odd runs. Virat is the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs of all time, with 15,109 runs at an average of 58.78, with 55 centuries and 79 fifties and a best score of 183. On the other hand, Rohit, despite all the chatter around his place and fitness, continues to go strong. He is India's third-highest run-scorer in ODIs, with 12,120 runs in 291 ODIs and 283 innings at an average of 49.26, with 35 centuries and 63 fifties, with a best score of 264. He has maintained a rich run of form in ODIs this year, with 604 runs across 12 innings at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 104.67, including two centuries and two fifties and a best score of 138. During the ODIs against WI, he was India's second-highest run-scorer, with 225 runs in three innings at an average of 75.00 and a strike rate of over 115, including a century and a fifty and a best score of 101. Speaking on the ISCL season 2, Raina looked back to his days playing tennis ball cricket when he was not so sure of landing a UP state/Team India cap. "I think this (ISCL) is a great initiative. There are kids who deserve it and are getting to play cricket. I also played tennis ball cricket, and I didn't know if I would play for UP, Air India, my sports college in Lucknow, or for India," he said. "Players are getting opportunities, coaches are getting work, and the best part is that cricket is growing. Players played tennis ball cricket before, it is affordable. A lot of other sports are coming up now, players are entering these sports. I think it is a great initiative," he signed off. Former India cricketers Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh are associated with ISCL as Brand Ambassadors, adding significant cricketing stature to a league whose central objective is to identify and provide opportunities to grassroots talent from urban, rural and remote regions of the country. (ANI)
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