"I do believe Rohit and Kohli will do fairly well in the World Cup" - Mohammad Azharuddin 

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels that ace batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have a huge say in the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil.

The pair were in full flow in the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, January 10, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. While the skipper scored a well-made 83, Kohli made the most of his start to bring up his 45th ODI hundred.

The 50-over format has become of huge significance this year after a rather bleak 2022. The ongoing home season will see India compete in 12 ODIs, following which the team is also set to continue their preparations for the tournament with a tour of the Caribbean as well as the 2023 Asia Cup.

Since their illustrious title-winning campaign in 2011, Team India have been eliminated from the World Cup in the semi-final stage, despite being labeled as favorites. Expectations are once again high for Rohit and co. as they aim for the nation's third ODI World Cup title.

Noting that he expects Rohit and Kohli to lead from the front with the bat in the competition, Azharuddin said in an interview with PTI:

"Both are very good and classy players and they have done well in the past too, as the records say."

Azharuddin continued:

I do believe Kohli and Rohit will do fairly well in the World Cup. In ODI format, they have always been pretty consistent."

The marquee event, which is slated to be held in the October-November window, could potentially be a swansong for the senior duo in terms of major tournaments.

By the time the tournament ends, Rohit and Kohli will be 36 and 35 years of age, respectively. There is already talk for the duo to be phased out of the T20I squad in time for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

---

"He is a good player but consistency is missing in his game" - Mohammad Azharuddin on KL Rahul

The preparations for the ODI World Cup have also brought about radical changes in personnel.

Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill have entered the fray for the opening spot, with Shikhar Dhawan seemingly out of the scheme of things for now.

The shuffle at the top has also rendered KL Rahul in the middle order, where he has to compete with the in-form duo of Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav.

Opining that Rahul has to introduce consistency in order to rest a solid case for himself, Azharuddin said:

"I think consistency is the problem in KL Rahul's case. But I think there are coaches who should rectify his flaws. In my opinion, he is a good player but consistency is missing in his game."

Azharuddin continued:

"I think Rahul is getting out in a lot of manners. Primarily, it is not the good balls that are getting him out. It is poor shot selection first up that is causing problems."

Rahul played a bright cameo in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. However, he was bowled around his legs in an awkward manner by a slower delivery from Kasun Rajitha.

Since Kishan was not included in the playing XI despite coming on the back of an ODI double hundred, Rahul donned the wicketkeeper's role and kept Suryakumar away from the side for the time being as well.

---