Google CEO Pichai backs Kohli & boys to win World Cup

Sundar Pichai

Sundar Pichai, Googles Indian-American CEO, feels India and England will lock horns in the final of the ongoing World Cup and said he is 'rooting' for Virat Kohli and Co. to lift the trophy. US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said that the World Cup has the potential to change the world.

"It (ICC World Cup final match) should be (between) England and India. But, you know, Australia and New Zealand, these are all very, very good teams," Pichai told a Washington audience that included Pompeo and top corporate executives from India and the US during the India Ideas Summit of USIBC wherein he received the Global Leadership Award on Wednesday.

USIBC President Nisha Desai Biswal had asked: "Who do you think is going to play the final match?"

Pichai further said that he had tried to adapt to baseball but with little luck. "When I first came here, I tried to kind of adapt to baseball. I have to say it was a bit challenging. In my first game, I was proud because I hit the ball on the back. It's a really good shot in cricket. I was like, well look, what I did. But people didn't appreciate it.

"In cricket when you run, you always take your bat with you. So I also ran between the base with my bat as well. So eventually, I realized baseball was a bit difficult. I can adjust on many things, but I'm going to stick to cricket," he shared.

"There is a cricket World Cup going on. It's a wonderful tournament... rooting for India to do well. But there's a lot at stake here," Pichai said.

Commenting on the World Cup, Pompeo said: "I understand that you've been having deep, important conversations among you about one of the most important global events of our day, something with major potential to change the world, deep international events that capture the attention of billions and billions of people. Of course, that's the Cricket World Cup."

Pompeo's speech was part of preparations for his visits to India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and South Korea. The visit will be from June 24-30.

Sundar Pichai is an Indian-American business executive. He is an engineer and the chief executive officer (CEO) of Google. Formerly the Product Chief of Google, Pichai's current role was announced on August 10, 2015, as part of the restructuring process that made Alphabet Inc. into Google's parent company, and he assumed the position on October 2, 2015

With inputs from IANS

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