Indian legend Mithali Raj has backed Team India to win the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup. Raj feels the hosts can make the most of their own conditions in the ODI showpiece. In fact, India had won the 2011 World Cup when they had hosted the major event, under the captaincy of former skipper MS Dhoni.

Meanwhile, India has a fantastic record in their own conditions and they are a force to reckon with while playing at home. However, India hasn’t been able to keep their calm in the crunch situations of big matches of major ICC events and it has led to their downfall in the knockout stages.

Rohit Sharma will look to lead from the front and experienced players like Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will hold the key for the team in the quadrennial event.

Mithali Raj said during the finals of the Women’s League in Srinagar: “As an Indian cricket fan, I would want India to play in the final. It is a big opportunity. We are the host nation and the conditions are in our favour. If they (team) do well, we will get another opportunity to lift the World Cup.”

Meanwhile, India’s women’s team has taken giant strides in the recent past and the players are also gaining confidence at the top level after the introduction of Women Premier League.

Raj is expecting more players to come from Jammu and Kashmir.

“For the past two to three years, the BCCI has been making a lot of efforts to promote the women’s game and women players. The WIPL this year has also gone well and it is good for the sports profile. We hope that many players will come up from the state in the next two to three years.”

In fact, players like Abdul Samad and Umran Malik have risen through the ranks in the Indian Premier League.

India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on October 8.