Sachin Tendulkar, the cricket legend, added a touch of grandeur to the commencement of the World Cup, stepping onto the pitch with the coveted trophy, marking India’s exclusive hosting of the event for the very first time. Notably, when sharing his predictions for the 2023 World Cup, Sachin intriguingly omitted Pakistan from his list of four semi-finalists.
After much anticipation and eager anticipation, the 2023 ODI World Cup finally kicked off, and it was a shocking start as defending champions England were soundly defeated by New Zealand in the opening match on Thursday, October 5, in Ahmedabad.
The cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had the honor of carrying the World Cup trophy onto the field, marking the beginning of this prestigious event. He described the experience as ‘unbelievable’ and fondly recalled India’s unforgettable quarter-final victory against Australia during the 2011 ODI World Cup held in Ahmedabad. Notably, when sharing his predictions for the 2023 World Cup, Sachin intriguingly omitted Pakistan from his list of four semi-finalists.
“It was a surreal experience to carry that trophy out on the field. We ended up playing here, a quarter-final against Australia, and that night was a special night for us. To come back here, same stadium, 12 years down the line. Something nice has happened actually. Before 2011, no host nation had won the tournament. Post that, all home nations have won. India’s hosting so, keeping those fingers crossed,” Sachin Tendulkar said while interacting with ICC’s Digital Insider.
The ‘Master Blaster’ also joined many other experts as far as making a prediction for the semi-finalists of the ODI World Cup 2023 was concerned. He picked hosts India, five-time champions Australia, defending champions England, and last edition’s finalist New Zealand as his four teams to reach the last-four stage and also explained the reasons behind his picks.
“India without any doubt. We have a very, very good, balanced team. So is the case with Australia, I feel they have a balanced team. The third one I would say would be England. England again are a very strong team, a combination of experience and some new faces. My fourth team would be New Zealand. They have played the finals in 2015 and 2019. If you look at their track record, New Zealand in world championships have always done well and I see them getting to the semis,” Tendulkar further concluded.
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