Hyderabad, Oct.14 : West Indies cricketing legend Brain Lara has insisted that India still remain a strong force to be reckoned with, despite losing the T20 series and trailing South Africa in the ongoing five-match ODI series.
“The competition is going to come a lot closer. It could go to South Africa. But I still believe India are a strong force to be reckoned with especially as the World Cup is coming up,” said Lara during the official launch of Yupp TV, which claims itself as the World’s largest Over-The-Top provider for Indian content.
The global cricket icon, who has played 131 Tests for West Indies, attributed South African’s success in the subcontinent nation to the Indian Premier League.
“South Africa are doing well. They are a very strong team. When you have a lot of South Africans playing in the IPL, getting accustomed to Indian crowd and conditions, then you are going to lose that advantage that you have.”
Commenting on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s poor form, Lara suggested the country should show faith on the limited overs captain ahead of the T20 World Cup in India next year.
“India have had a lot of success under Dhoni in the past. You are not going to win all the matches all the time. He has a done a tremendous job. He is someone who has exited Test arena to concentrate on T20 and One day cricket and should have the opportunity to do so. You want to have faith in your captain and make sure you give him that confidence so that he can keep moving forward.”
The second one-day international between India and South Africa is currently underway in Indore. (ANI)