World Cup 2023: Sachin Tendulkar makes his semi-final prediction for the tournament

Legendary India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has revealed his predictions for the 2023 Cricket World Cup that got underway in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Speaking in a video uploaded on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Instagram handle, Tendulkar said that India were without a doubt semi-final contenders, along with Australia, England and New Zealand.

“India, without any doubt, has a very, very good, balanced team,” said Sachin.

Tendulkar, a World Cup winner himself, sounded confident about India’s chances at this World Cup and believed that the hosts could replicate their historic achievement from 2011 on their home turf.

“Our team is playing good cricket, and if the team continues to keep things simple and stick to basics, they have the ammunition,” Tendulkar, the global ambassador for the 2023 World Cup, told ICC.

“We’ve got strong batting line-up, a very good all-round bowling attack, we have good balance,” he further added.

Tendulkar, 50, was in attendance to witness the opening match of the World Cup at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium between England and New Zealand. Ahead of the match on Thursday, Tendulkar unveiled the World Cup trophy.

According to Tendulkar, it was a surreal experience for him to carry the trophy onto the field. He recalled India’s past experiences, including a quarter-final against Australia, which had been a special night for his team.

New Zealand began their World Cup campaign on a winning note, with Rachin Ravindra (123*) and Devon Conway (152*) helping the Black Caps chase down a target of 283 against England with nine wickets to spare.