File photo of Ravichandran Ashwin© AFP
Come Sunday, the world’s focus will shift towards the FIFA World Cup. After the last game week, domestic leagues paused for six weeks for the global showpiece but preparation time is short for the teams. The first World Cup to be held in the Arab world will kick off on Sunday when the host nation face Ecuador. Holding football’s showpiece event in a desert state has necessitated an unprecedented re-organisation of the international football calendar, shifting the World Cup from its normal slot in the northern hemisphere summer to avoid the Gulf’s scorching heat.
Speaking to SPORTS18, India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about his favourite team at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and said: “I have always been a fan of Spain. Not sure how they are going to do this year. But yes, looking forward to watching how Spain does, the other football teams have picked up the standard of play and the last World Cup was amazing. I enjoyed watching Kylian Mbappe last time around, so I am looking forward to seeing a lot of new stars jump on to the scene. So yes, I am looking forward to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha also shared his thoughts on his dream World Cup final and said, “Yes, I am going to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup 2022. I am going to watch Portugal vs Uruguay, the only reason behind this is Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s not like I am a big fan, but I just want to see him play live.”
On being asked about his dream World Cup final, he said, “See, I am not too much into football but if I have to pick, it would be Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo that is Argentina vs Portugal.”
With AFP inputs
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