NEW DELHI: Former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir on Friday said that winning the cricket World Cup requires overcoming Australia, given their outstanding track record in ICC events.
In a conversation with Star Sports, Gambhir emphasised the critical significance of securing victory against Australia in the mega tournament.
"Look, I have always said this, and there is no doubt in this, that if you want to win the World Cup, then you have to beat Australia. In 2007 when we won the World Cup, we defeated Australia in the semifinal. In 2011 when we won the World Cup, we beat Australia in the quarterfinal. Australia is the strongest team in any ICC tournament. Remove the ranking, the ranking does not matter," Gambhir said.
Australia have the highest number of ICC ODI World Cup title wins, having clinched the coveted trophy five times, solidifying their status as the most successful team in the tournament's history.
1/10:5 Indian stars from the 2019 World Cup who are missing this time
2/10:MS Dhoni
<p>The iconic former captain of the Indian cricket team, MS Dhoni etched an indelible legacy in the cricketing world. Renowned for his astute leadership and calm demeanor, Dhoni guided India to several victories in all forms of the game.<br /></p>
3/10:MS Dhoni
<p>Dhoni last played for India during the 2019 World Cup, where he almost pulled off a miracle for his side in the semi-final against New Zealand. <br /></p>
4/10:Bhuvneshwar Kumar
<p>One of the most reputed seam bowlers of India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who played in the last World Cup in 2019 will be missed this time.<br /></p>
5/10:Bhuvneshwar Kumar
<p>Bhuvi played a pivotal role for India in the last edition, taking 10 wickets in 6 matches. <br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
6/10:Shikhar Dhawan
<p>One of the notable players missing from India’s quest for the 2023 World Cup. Dhawan is known for his splendid performance in ICC tournaments.<br /></p>
7/10:Shikhar Dhawan
<p>In 2019, Dhawan played only a couple of matches, where against Australia, he scored a scintillating century. But he also broke his left thumb after being hit by a Nathan Coulter-Nile delivery and was ruled out of the rest of the tournament.<br /></p>
8/10:Rishabh Pant
<p>The electrifying Indian cricketer, Rishabh Pant redefined wicketkeeping with his fearless batting and agile glovework. His audacious strokeplay and match-winning capabilities make him a dynamic force after MS Dhoni.<br /></p>
9/10:Rishabh Pant
<p>Unfortunately, he has been out of the side for a while as he is recovering from a horror car accident<br /></p>
10/10:Dinesh Karthik
<p>The veteran wicket-keeper batter, Dinesh Karthik also makes this list.<br /></p>Following closely behind, West Indies and India have both secured the trophy twice each during past competitions.
The current defending champions are England, who emerged victorious in the 2019 World Cup.
"You can be in any position in the rankings, but Australia, when it comes to those big tournaments, the World Cups, I think Australia has got the players, they have got the self-belief, Australia has the ability to play those big moments really well. And you can see this, the two World Cups that India won, we had to beat Australia in the knockout stage two times. And the World Cups that we have lost, in 2015 we lost to Australia. So I believe that if we have to win the World Cup this year, Australia is going to be the most important game, and we start against Australia, so there is nothing better than that. So beating Australia is very, very important," Gambhir further said.
India will kick off their World Cup campaign on October 8 against Australia in Chennai.
