ICC World Cup 2023: India Among Favourites, but Must Plug Holes To Be Champions

ICC World Cup 2023: For ODI cricket to survive, India must become the world champions.

This has probably been the most tepid build-up to a major cricket event in a country like India since 24 June, 1983.

For some strange reason, the cricket fever has yet to catch on. We do not know if it is because of too much cricket, or whether the One-Day International (ODI) format has lost its mojo.

But overall if you see the buzz around Cricket World Cup 2023 has not been as high as the previous editions of the tournament. In fact, even back in 2011 when the tournament was jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, the hype was at an all-time high.

The reason for the tournament not catching on as much as back in 2011 could be the increase in the number of T20 or shorter format leagues especially during the pandemic. It seemed to be the perfect way to get cricketing action back on track when the world was shut down. So, the administrators worldwide jumped on the T20 bandwagon.

Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, we have had two T20I World Cups in successive years which means that the entire cricketing ecosystem was focused on that format only. The ODI format took a backseat in the last couple of years with bilateral matches being reduced and second-string sides playing worldwide.

Hence for the first time since 1975, we do not know how the tournament will stack up in the face of limited sample size in the four years since the previous ODI World Cup.

Analysing India’s Squad

Take the case of India, who played very few ODIs in the intervening period, with the focus being Tests and T20Is. It did not particularly yield dividends in terms of ICC titles, but the focus shifted dramatically away from ODIs.

For a major part of 2021 and 2022, India’s ODI squad was being led by Shikhar Dhawan, who incidentally is not even in the squad for the 2023 World Cup!

The others in that ODI squad led by Dhawan were the likes of Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav.

This trio of bowlers are going to be crucial for India’s chances during the World Cup because of their wicket-taking ability. They are amongst the top wicket-takers in specific periods of ODI cricket since the start of 2022 simply because they played when the T20I specialist squad was away playing a World Cup.

The likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have also made returns from injury and rest giving India’s bowling attack a complete look.

Ashwin Returns, Out of Nowhere

In the last few days, India have further reinforced their bowling line-up by recalling Ravichandran Ashwin to the set-up. Ashwin had played just two ODIs since the fiasco of the 2017 Champions Trophy final. He was not even considered for the 2019 ODI World Cup.

But now Ashwin is back in the squad, much like he was in 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups. Life has come full circle with both Ashwin and his Test spin twin Ravindra Jadeja in the ODI squad.

All the talk about fielding leg-spinners and tormenting batters has gone up in smoke, so Yuzvendra Chahal misses out on a third straight World Cup.

Ashwin is clearly the captain’s choice and this was evident in the way Rohit Sharma took his name after destroying Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final recently. This was not prompted by anyone, but Sharma gave away his choice quite easily.

As a result, an injured Axar Patel will first do rehab in National Cricket Academy (NCA) and then hopefully start playing for Gujarat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The Hardik Advantage

The one big advantage that India has, is the presence of Hardik Pandya as a seam-bowling all-rounder. He provides the kind of option that very few sides barring Australia, England and New Zealand have in that department. Bangladesh has surfeit of spin bowling all-rounders and will be dangerous early on in the tournament.

Pandya’s bowling form and Jadeja’s batting form will be the key to India achieving the right balance in a long tournament like this year’s World Cup.

Batting Makes India a Top Contender

Then you add the quality of the batting and India emerges as a top contender for the title. Shubman Gill is in dream form. Sharma is keen to leave behind a legacy of his own having missed out on the 2011 edition.

Then there is the champion, Virat Kohli, who would like to do an encore of 2011. Kohli and Ashwin are the only two survivors from the 2011 winning side. So, they do know what it is like to win a World Cup.

After them, we have the core of the Indian batting line-up, which is always a matter of debate. KL Rahul has strengthened his hold in the ODI set-up as wicket-keeper and batter. In fact, this role for Rahul started just a little before COVID-19, again thanks to an injury to Rishab Pant. He has gradually consolidated his position in the middle and with the gloves. His ODI numbers are quite different from the T20I and Test formats, so hopefully, he will be spared the trauma on social media.

The 'I-S-I' Trio

Then come the three men who will be under the most scrutiny. Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan. Together the trio provide different skills and are useful for various reasons

• Shreyas can play the waiting game, take on the spinners and hold the innings

• SKY is a maverick, who can win games with his X factor and can be destructive

• Ishan can keep wickets and is a left-hander, who is aggressive and can also open the innings.

Throughout the tournament, the trio could end up fighting for that one spot which could end up becoming a matter of debate for a billion-plus Indians all over the world.

The other major issue, which requires a more longer-term solution, is the fact that India is one of the few squads where the batters don’t bowl and bowlers don’t bat. In crunch situations, this could well be an issue for India.

ODI Cricket Needs India To Win

Above all, the tournament is the ultimate test for the Indian squad having not won an ICC senior men’s title since 2013. Then, they were not expected to go all the way with a young unheralded squad. But now in 2023, they are expected to make the top four and even win it with a bunch of world-class players.

How the squad handles the pressure and the constant travel across the country over 50 days will decide whether they can win the World Cup for the third time. They are expected to traverse around 15,188 kilometres throughout the tournament and that will take a toll on their bodies as well.

Thankfully, their minds will be in a better place after Kohli announced that at least he does not have tickets to spare for any of the games. It is also an opportunity for head coach Rahul Dravid to leave behind a legacy that he can be proud of.

Above all, the game of cricket needs India to win because the ODI format is on its last legs. Only an Indian triumph on 19 November can ensure that the ODI format survives at least till the next edition of the World Cup in South Africa!