The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 schedule has been announced in Cape Town, with the tournament set to begin on October 2, 2027, in South Africa.
India will start their campaign against Australia in Cape Town on October 7 before facing Pakistan in Johannesburg on October 10.
Following the schedule launch, former India cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh, along with JioStar experts Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina, spoke about India’s preparations, the India-Pakistan rivalry and the importance of Hardik Pandya to the team’s balance.
Yuvraj Singh wants India to settle core squad early
Yuvraj Singh believes India should avoid making too many changes as the World Cup gets closer. He stressed the importance of giving players enough matches in their respective positions well before the tournament.
“In my opinion, there should not be a lot of shuffling because I feel that you need to prepare the squad like a year before going to the World Cup, because you need experience in every position. Whether it’s the top order, middle, whoever your numbers four, five and six are, they need to have game time.
“Don’t think too far ahead because if you’re thinking straight away about winning the World Cup, you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. Just go with the flow and make sure that your 16 to 20 guys are ready to play. Before the World Cup, the team should be there in South Africa a month before to prepare. And looking at this squad, I definitely believe they have the potential to win the World Cup,” Yuvraj Singh said.
Sourav Ganguly highlights Hardik Pandya’s role
Ganguly feels Hardik Pandya could be one of the most important players for India because of the balance he provides as a seam-bowling all-rounder. He also named Nitish Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja as possible alternatives.
“I think Hardik Pandya is very important to India’s balance in the World Cup. That’s one of Gambhir’s and the team’s biggest challenges, to get him fit on the park. I don’t think he plays enough cricket, but for India, the balance has got to be right. If Hardik is injured, the next best option is Nitish Reddy. If they have to look at Nitish Reddy as a second option to Hardik Pandya, then he must play all cricket till the World Cup. Jadeja is another option, whether they will look at him, because he is a terrific batter at number seven and is playing against the West Indies currently.
“But I think in October in South Africa, you will need a seaming all-rounder because none of the top five batters bowl. So you will have to get that fifth or sixth bowling option from somewhere. So that’s an area where India needs to find the right person. And that’s why I keep saying Pandya is very important,” Ganguly said.
Ganguly on India-Pakistan rivalry
Ganguly welcomed the fact that India will begin against Australia rather than Pakistan. He also pointed towards a possible India-South Africa clash later in the tournament.
“Good to see that India start with Australia because we are too used to India starting against Pakistan. You have to play two good teams at any stage. It doesn’t matter whether it comes first or whether it comes later. I think the ICC has realised that India-Pakistan is no longer the India-Pakistan game in terms of the level of competition. Pakistan is too weak and India have been beating them for a long time.”
He added: “I’m actually looking forward to the India-South Africa game, which will probably take place in the second round. South Africa is a gun team at the moment. Many of the regulars are not even a part of the squad which is playing Australia at the moment, and they have beaten them. Also, a World Cup in South Africa will be phenomenal. I was involved in SA20 last year, and the turnout for the franchise tournament was unreal. Every ground and every stand was full.”
Parthiv Patel feels the new World Cup format will give India room to manage workloads and rotate players during the league stage. He said India could use the early matches to build momentum before the business end of the tournament.
Suresh Raina also spoke about the India-Pakistan rivalry and said India currently have an advantage across departments. He backed the team to perform strongly in the 2027 World Cup.