“Will definitely be there, they deserve it”: Monty Panesar betting on India to seal top-four spot in World Cup

New Delhi [India], October 19 (ANI): Wowed by India’s dazzling performances in the ongoing ODI World Cup, former England spinner Monty Panesar said the Men in Blue were well on course to sealing a spot in semi-finals of the quadrennial showpiece.

India, along with Australia, England, South Africa and Pakistan were seen as strong contenders for the title and among the ones competing for the final four spots.

However, into the third week of the World Cup, perceptions have changed around the pre-tournament favoutires as most of them have stumbled in the round-robin phase.

On the teams that are in contention to reach the final-four, Panesar told ANI, “India will definitely be there, they deserve it. New Zealand are playing well too. I think the game between South Africa and England will reveal which team will be ahead. While Australia’s game against England will also be a big game. Coming to Pakistan, they have the best bowling line-up but the pressure of the ICC tournament freezes even the best players. So you need to have courage and belief in big games. The team that is more courageous will go to the semi-final. India is playing with most courage.”

The 13th edition of tournament has already seen stunning upsets, with defending champions England falling to unfancied Afghanistan and the 1999 semi-finalists South Africa bested by another cricketing lightweight, the Netherlands, in the scenic Dharamsala.

Weighing in on England’s defeat to Afghanistan, Panesar questioned skipper Jos Buttler’s decision to bowl after winning the toss.

“I think it is about attitude and a positive mindset, when Jos Buttler won the toss he should have gone for batting. We have seen that England’s strength lies in batting. They have the highest strike rate but if they don’t play with their strength and when they took the decision we thought that they are not confident with the batting line-up,” Panesar added.