India amongst the top four contenders to lift the World Cup: Rahul Dravid

New Delhi: Rahul Dravid named India amongst the top four countries most likely to win the World Cup during his sports lecture in the presence of a number of journalists and former players at the India International Centre (IIC) on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering that included many prominent sports journalists, the former Indian skipper said, “Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India are the teams which will most likely lift the trophy this time. However, it’s tough to ignore Sri Lanka. They are a team that we often forget to mention, but they always seem to find a way to get into the latter stages of these tournaments.”

Dravid talked about the format of the World Cup allowing little scope for any of the top eight nations to slip up, given the number of matches in the Group Stages before the knockout rounds.

“I’m pretty certain that there won’t be any real surprises till the Quarter-Finals since it’s a long competition. This will diminish the chances of one off-day leading to an early exit for a top team.

“After that, it’s just a matter of having three good days. You play some positive cricket, get a bit of luck and you could find yourself lifting the cup,” the former Wisden Test Cricketer of the Year said.

While he did evade questions on India’s edgy bowling , Dravid remained confident that the team has enough match-winners to be considered serious contenders in the tournament.

“Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are both genuine match-winners. They can literally snatch wins away from the hands of the opposition. It will be crucial for them to be in form when the World Cup starts next month,” he said.

India will start their World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 15, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The ‘Men in Blue’ will be looking to extend their unbeaten record over their neighbours, against whom they remain unbeaten in World Cup encounters.