Sehwag's surprise omission while naming 4 World Cup 2023 semi-finalists: 'They play all type of unconventional shots'

When asked about his predictions for the semi-finalists once the group stages come to an end, Sehwag's picks were on expected lines barring one huge omission.

The release of the 2023 World Cup schedule has kickstarted the preparation for cricket's marquee event, with teams beginning to think about their plans and prepare themselves for the tournament. This also means the speculation and attempts to predict what the tournament could hold have also begun, with the final less than 5 months away.

Virender Sehwag being as blunt as always. (Hindustan Times)

Former India opener and World Cup winner Virender Sehwag weighed in on the same while speaking at an ICC event. When asked about his predictions for the semi-finalists once the group stages come to an end, Sehwag said, "If I have to pick four teams – Australia, England, India and Pakistan. These are the semi-finalists. Australia and England will surely be there because the kind of cricket they are playing – they don't play conventional shots, only unconventional – these 2 teams are pretty good at it. Also, England and Australia are the two away teams who can play better cricketer in the sub-continent."

These four nations certainly look to possess the highest quality going into the tournament, with the hosts India always a factor but depending on the injury health of key players in all departments. England go into this tournament as defending champions, and even without the 2019 captain Eoin Morgan, will have the leadership of Jos Buttler and incredible amounts of power in their batting.

Australia, who upset India 2-1 in the bilateral ODI series earlier this year, have all the tools present to win the tournament, and as 5-time champions they will know what it takes. They also hold the No. 1 ranking in ODIs at the time of writing. Right on their heels are Pakistan, who have found a good balance under the excellence of captain Babar Azam: they narrowly missed out on the knockouts of the 2019 tournament, but have only gotten better since, and are a terrifying prospect on any surface.

Sehwag was part of the squad which won the 2011 World Cup, opening the batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar. He scored a century against Bangladesh in the opening match of that tournament, scoring 380 runs at an average of 47.50. His brisk starts earned India important momentum in their matches throughout the tournament, including a 38 (25) against Pakistan in the semifinal.

No mention of New Zealand

The biggest name Sehwag didn't mention is perhaps New Zealand, semi-finalists of the last two ODI World Cups, and semi-finalists when the event was held on the subcontinent in 2011. New Zealand always seem to perform at ICC events, and although they have blooded in a new crop of batters over the last World Cup cycle, their quality is on a par with the teams of the 2010s. South Africa, who had a poor run in 2019, will also try to prove Sehwag's prediction wrong.

The World Cup's first match is still over 3 months away, but that period will be full of predictions and speculation regarding how the teams might line up and how they will perform on the biggest stage. The World Cup begins on October 5, with England taking on New Zealand in Ahmedabad in the opening match.