A lot will depend on Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill will be the key in World Cup 2023: Harbhajan Singh

The countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has begun as the mega event is just three months away. India will be the exclusive host of the marquee event, for the first time, beginning on October 05. As host nation, the Men in Blue will be under tremendous pressure to win the coveted trophy and end their ICC trophy drought of over ten years. 

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh named India’s key players for the marquee event. The 2011 World Cup winner feels that Indian captain Rohit Sharma and young sensation Shubman Gill will hold the key, opening the innings for the team.

"If I talk about India, it comes back to your opening partnership. A lot will depend on Rohit Sharma. Shubman Gill - I hope he is part of the team. It will be unfortunate if you don't play him. I think Shubman Gill will be the key. He bats extremely well in Indian conditions,” Harbhajan said on Star Sports.

Notably, Rohit Sharma was the leading run-scorer of the World Cup 2019 where he amassed 648 runs in 10 innings at an average of 81. The India captain will be eager to replicate his performance in the upcoming edition on home soil.

On the other hand, Shubman Gill has had a great run in his short ODI career having scored 1311 runs in 24 matches at an average of 65.55 with four hundreds and five fifties to his name. Harbhajan further named Ravindra Jadeja to be the key man with the ball.

"In bowling, Ravindra Jadeja, if he fires like we saw in the IPL, where he picked up more than 20 wickets,” he added.

Jadeja picked 20 wickets in IPL 2023

Jadeja recently played a key role in Chennai Super King’s fifth triumph in the IPL 2023 as he picked up 20 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.56 in the 16 matches. He also smacked ten runs off the last two balls in the final to help his side register a thrilling win.

Former India cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth is expecting Jadeja to play a similar role like what Yuvraj Singh did in the 2011 edition. The southpaw, being an allrounder, is an integral part of the team and will be expected to play a key role in the upcoming edition as well.