Arjuna Ranatunga, the captain who led Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996, believes that India, while being favourites for the upcoming World Cup, may face significant pressure playing in front of their home crowd. This edition of the tournament will be the first time India is hosting the World Cup exclusively.
In a column for the Indian Express, Ranatunga expressed, "India will definitely have a huge advantage in the World Cup, however, they will have the biggest disadvantage of playing in front of their own fans. In India, the crowds will put a lot of pressure on the Indian team and they need to overcome that apart from the opposition."
The former Sri Lankan skipper also weighed in on the composition of the Indian team. He emphasised the importance of having a specialist off-spinner in the squad, rather than relying solely on all-rounders. He feels that such a choice would bolster India's chances of taking all 10 wickets in a match.
"They are looking more at the all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, but I personally feel that they should have someone like R Ashwin in the squad, if not in the XI. When he plays, he can be a match-winner for you. He may be slightly older, he might be slightly slow on the field, but you need guys in the sub-continent who can contain and can take wickets," Ranatunga opined.
Ravichandran Ashwin, the seasoned off-spinner, has been recalled to the Indian squad for the impending 3-match series against Australia, which kicks off on Friday, September 22. India's captain, Rohit Sharma, during the squad announcement, mentioned that he had been in regular communication with Ashwin. He expressed confidence that the 37-year-old would quickly find his rhythm.
Ranatunga, echoing his earlier sentiments, concluded, "They must have a different idea, but for me, Ashwin should be playing because the attack looks incomplete without an off-spinner."
