2027 ODI World Cup will inspire next generation: AB de Villiers

2027 Men's ODI WC will inspire next generation, SA will be good hosts, says de Villiers

New Delhi, Oct 3

South Africa will co-host the 50-over mega event alongside Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2 to November 21, 2027 and mark the tournament's return to the region for the first time in 24 years. While South Africa and Zimbabwe were co-hosts for the 2003 Men's ODI World Cup alongside Kenya, Namibia will be hosting its maiden senior ICC tournament as a host nation.

"Yes, the ODI World Cup in 2027 is coming back to South Africa for the first time since 2003. The 2003 World Cup played a huge part in my career. It had a big influence and impact on me. I clearly remember a cricketing clinic Australian had at the University of Pretoria. That's where I played my cricket at that time, at the age of 19. I got to know Adam Gilchrist a bit better. He worked with my wicketkeeping skills that day.

"Obviously, he had no idea who I was at that time. But I very clearly recall having a very good moment with him. He told me to work on my left hand and said, 'All the best, youngster.' Three years later, I played cricket against him in Test matches and ODIs. It had a huge impact on me and I'm pretty sure the 2027 World Cup will have the same impact on the youngsters of South Africa, hoping to represent their country one day.

"Obviously, from an economical point of view, great to have the World Cup here in South Africa, also co-hosted by Namibia and Zimbabwe and I'm looking forward to the rest of the world to come and enjoy the great parts of South Africa and how welcoming we can be and we are really good hosts," de Villiers told IANS in a select chat facilitated by FanCode, the official broadcaster of the World Championship of Legends.

All focus will also be on South Africa, who are yet to win the Men's ODI World Cup title and de Villiers backed the side to have a good time in the competition on home soil. "So looking forward to that and I think the cricket is going to be magnificent, as it was in 2003 and hopefully the Proteas will perform better this time.

"As for 2003, from a performance point of view, it doesn't bring back great memories. But the team really looks strong now. Most of the team is still relatively unknown globally. But I know they have a lot of chemistry. There's a great culture there and lots of individuals who can win you games of cricket and we showcased it now against Australia, winning our sixth consecutive ODI series win against the Aussies.

"So really looking good for the guys and once the World Cup starts, there will be a lot of hype, a lot of attention from the media and the public and my message to the Proteas will be just to keep it in now, stay focused on what the goal is, and hopefully they'll have a really good World Cup," he added.

Turning his attention to two-time champions India, de Villiers highlighted the role of Indian Premier League (IPL) in creating an unmatched pipeline of talent. "Yes, the Indian youngsters are coming through and I think the IPL is an incredible platform and laid the foundation for Indian cricket to just have such a large depth of talent. That's also not going to change anytime soon.

"They have the ability to play around with different combinations in the batting and bowling departments, and from a leadership point of view. They can just really play around with a deep pool of talent, which is fantastic. Plenty of youngsters have impressed me and I'm very happy. I consider myself lucky that I'm not an Indian selector. It's a tough job with the amount of talent they have.

"There's just too many to mention, to be honest. Lots of individuals stand out. They're obviously still playing around with the balance of their squad going into that World Cup. India always comes with a strong spin contingent, so it will be interesting to see who they go for.

"There's Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washi - so many spinners and players to pick from and plenty of talent in the batting department. That's probably the biggest headache - they really have about a group of 10 batters to pick from who are all match winners. It's really, really difficult and good luck to the Indian selectors," he added.

Among India's emerging prodigies, young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has captured widespread attention with his fearless hitting and has found himself in the India T20I team since his debut against England at Manchester in July. De Villiers expressed admiration for Sooryavanshi's strokeplay and urged him to work on his game continuously to play across all formats and conditions.

"He's absolutely phenomenal to watch. I'm not surprised, to be honest. The next phase for him is to find a blueprint in different formats, in different conditions, realising that every game poses a different challenge, and playing the situation instead of just playing one way or being one-dimensional with his game. I would urge him to keep developing his game.

"I think he picked up a little bit on when he toured England, and realising that it's not always as easy. You can't just rock up and always hit through the line. Every game is a different situation. My message to him would be to assess every single match he plays, get a feel for what he's confronted with on the particular day, and to respect that whatever his decision is, whether it's a flat wicket and let's go for 60 of 20 balls, or realising, hold on, today is a day where maybe 30 of 20 balls will be okay and set it up for a bit later.

"That is the next phase in his career. I would love to watch him play all formats of the game. It would be so good for Test cricket to see players like that break through. Hopefully there's a chapter in his career where he plays a bit of Test cricket. He's got all the talent in the world. What he's achieved is phenomenal. He's still very young, so there's plenty of time. I'm looking forward to watching that journey unfold."

— IANS