New Delhi
Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina believes that the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team has the potential to repeat MS Dhoni’s 2013 Champions Trophy win. India won the Champions Trophy by defeating England under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. On Saturday, chief selector and captain Rohit Sharma announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy in a press conference. The tournament to be held in Pakistan and UAE will start from February 19.
Suresh Raina, who was a part of the team that won the Champions Trophy in 2013, has described the current team as strong but has criticized the absence of Suryakumar Yadav and called him the X factor. Suryakumar Yadav will be seen captaining the Indian team in the five-match T20 series against England starting from January 22.
Suresh Raina said, “India looks a strong team. I am confident that Rohit will lead India to victory. But I am surprised by Suryakumar’s exclusion. India will miss that X factor and that too in the middle order. We have seen Surya’s performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He was scoring runs all over the ground. This is why he is called Mr. 360. He plays brilliant sweep shots and is a game changer. They have the ability to chase the required run rate of more than 9 runs against top teams. He should have been in the team.”
