Jacques Kallis, Waqar Younis, Dale Steyn, Piyush Chawla pick India and England as finalists for ODI World Cup 2023

India vs England. (Photo Source: BRENTON EDWARDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Legendary cricketers Jacques Kallis, Waqar Younis, Dale Steyn and Piyush Chawla expect India to host defending champions England on the night of the finals in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, the Men in Blue are in remarkable form at the moment, winning the recently concluded Asia Cup. They even beat Australia in the three-match ODI series and hence, are currently one of the favourites to win the marquee competition.

England, on the other hand, changed the complexion of white-ball cricket in recent times. The Jos Buttler-led side prefers to play an attacking brand of cricket under any circumstance, and that has made them one of the most dangerous sides in world cricket at the moment. Meanwhile, the two sides will come face-to-face on October 29 as part of the league stage at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

On the other hand, Chris Gayle, Dinesh Karthik and Murali Karthik expect India to play against Pakistan in the final. The arch-rivals have never faced each other in the finals and hence, if it comes true, it will be one of the biggest games in the history of cricket. The world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad will be hosting the final and hence a packed crowd is expected.

Meanwhile, former Australia cricketer Shane Watson along with Sanjay Manjrekar believe that India will play against Australia in the final while Faf du Plessis expects India to play against either Australia or New Zealand. Interestingly, Irfan Pathan expects India to play against South Africa. Former Australia skipper Aaron Finch meanwhile expects Australia to play against South Africa on the big night.

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Notably, the upcoming ODI World Cup will begin on October 5 with England taking on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India will play their first match on October 8 against Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. South Africa will play their first game against Sri Lanka on October 7 while Pakistan will host the Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad.