India would be 100 per cent ready for ODI World Cup 2023 if Virat Kohli was captain: Rashid Latif

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has expressed his concerns about the performance of Asian teams, including India and Pakistan, in the upcoming ODI World Cup. Latif is of the opinion that the former world champions may struggle to compete with the power-hitting skills exhibited by other top international teams.

Latif has also argued that Indian team are not well prepared for the ODI World Cup, and the reason is that Virat Kohli is not at the helm of the national side.

During a discussion on the Cricket Baaz Youtube channel, Latif highlighted that teams such as England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are expected to introduce innovative strategies in the upcoming 50-over tournament, which is scheduled to take place in India from October 5 to November 19.

“The one area where I feel Asian teams will struggle to match these sides are particularly in the middle overs when a fast strike rate is required even in 50-overs,” said the former wicket-keeper batter.

“The English, Australian and New Zealand batters have turned to reverse sweep and switch shots against the spinners into something very lethal nowadays,” he further added.

Latif also commented on India’s recent performance in the T20 series against West Indies. He believes that India’s loss can be attributed to the team’s inability to allow new players to properly settle into their roles. He criticised the Indian team management for their frequent changes in the middle and lower order batting line-up, which he believes has prevented new players from establishing themselves.

“Indian team management has experimented with several players and if I talk about their batting the middle and lower order say from 4 to 7 they just have not allowed any new player to settle down with frequent changes,” Latif said.

“If they had allowed Virat Kohli to continue as captain, India would be 100 percent ready for the World Cup by this time,” he further added.