‘It’s going to take one bad game’ – Ricky Ponting feels pressure will mount on India after single loss in the ongoing World Cup

India has a great start to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as they have won each of their first three games. With six points from three games, the team led by Rohit Sharma has defeated Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to take the top spot on the standings. The Men in Blue, who are hosting the competition, are strong favorites to take home the coveted trophy and end their 12-year absence from an ICC competition.

In recent comments on India’s dominating performance thus far in the competition, former Australia captain and two-time World Cup champion Ricky Ponting said that it is obvious that India will get off to a great start. However, it will only take one poor performance from the team for pressure to mount.

“With the individual players they have, it only takes one poor performance for both the team and the player to feel the pressure mounting.

Obviously, they’ve got off to a great start and they will be happy with that,” Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying by ICC (International Cricket Council).

The three-time World Cup champion added that while India’s team has all the bases covered, their ability to perform under pressure will be their true test.

“With their fast bowling, spin, and top-order, middle-order batting, they cover all the bases. They will be very challenging to defeat. But we’ll see how they hold up under extreme pressure as well. The enormity of the tournament makes it impossible for us to stand back and claim that the pressure won’t eventually get to them or won’t affect them.

India to next face Bangladesh

Meanwhile, having won the first three games of the tournament, India will next lock horns with Bangladesh on Thursday, October 19 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. Notably, Bangladesh enters the game on the seventh spot in the points table after dropping both of their previous two matches against England and New Zealand.

The Shakib Al Hasan-led side recently beat India in the Asia Cup 2023 and will be eager to emulate their feat in the World Cup as well.