‘Every Team Wishes They Were India’: Graeme Swann On ODI World Cup Favourites

India’s dominant ODI series victory over Afghanistan has reinforced their status as one of the favourites for next year’s ODI World Cup, with former England spinner Graeme Swann claiming many teams around the world would love to be in India’s position heading into the tournament.

Shubman Gill registered his first ODI series win as India captain after the Men in Blue crushed Afghanistan by 170 runs in Lucknow to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The victory was powered by Ishan Kishan’s sparkling century, another strong performance from India’s pace attack, and an increasingly impressive display of squad depth as the team continued to rotate players ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.

Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’, Swann highlighted India’s enviable bench strength and the competition for places within the squad.

“A lot of teams around the world will look at them and think, ‘With a World Cup coming up in South Africa, I wish we were in their shoes,'” Swann said.

Swann Praises Remarkable Ishan Kishan Comeback

One of the biggest positives for India was the return to form of Ishan Kishan, who followed up his comeback to the ODI side with a magnificent century.

Swann was particularly impressed by the wicketkeeper-batter’s ability to accelerate after reaching his half-century.

“He is the sort of player who will do whatever job you ask of him without any complaints. The fact that he’s come back into the team and looks like he’s never been away is remarkable,” Swann said.

The former England spinner noted that Kishan needed only 19 deliveries to move from 50 to 100 and credited the batter’s technical improvements.

“That shot, wide of long-off, is something he’s worked on over the last two years. It was an area where bowlers could shut him down, but he went away, worked on it and turned it into a strength.”

Gavaskar Hails Gurnoor Brar Selection

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar reserved special praise for fast bowler Gurnoor Brar, whose impressive start to international cricket continued in Lucknow.

Gavaskar credited both the selectors and team management for identifying and backing the left-arm pacer despite relatively modest numbers in domestic cricket.

“His run-up is so good, his rhythm is so good, he was hitting the deck and getting the ball to climb,” Gavaskar said.

“The selection committee deserves all the compliments. If you look at his stats or his India A performances, they’re okay, but not to the extent where you would say he deserved an India cap. However, the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, saw something in him.”

The veteran commentator singled out Gurnoor’s dismissal of Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz as one of the highlights of the match.

Shubman Gill Form Helping ODI World Cup Captaincy

Gavaskar also spoke about the relationship between individual form and leadership, explaining why Gill’s run-scoring form could positively influence his captaincy decisions.

“When you’re not getting runs, you’re not confident about making those marginal moves that come from your gut feel,” Gavaskar explained.

“That gut feel is a lot stronger when you’re personally performing. But if you’re not performing, even when you get a gut feel, you’re apprehensive about making that call.”

Gill has enjoyed a productive start to his ODI captaincy stint, winning the series while also contributing with the bat.

Spin Department Still A Work In Progress

Despite the convincing series win, Gavaskar believes India still have a few areas to address before the World Cup.

The former skipper identified the spin-bowling department as an area that requires further clarity over the coming months.

“I think Rohit and Jaiswal at the top will be the combination again for the last game,” he said.

“The spin department is where India will be looking to tick a few boxes. Kuldeep has bowled well without getting the wickets, and Harsh Dubey bowled well and picked up three wickets in the first game, but he was a little on the expensive side.”

With the series already secured, India are expected to continue experimenting in the third ODI as they fine-tune combinations ahead of a packed build-up to the ODI World Cup.