The ODI World Cup is just days away with all the teams having arrived in the country. This tournament again follows the most successful of all the World Cups, the 1991 edition. It was followed in 2019 too. It is a format that is loved by everyone and it gives the favourite teams a lot more chances to qualify. There were cases when following an unexpected loss, the favourites were sent home even before the semi-final. This format is really ideal. Yes, it will mean fewer chances for the teams that associate nations but that is how it must be. Cricket is not a mass-nation sport. It must be restricted to a handful of nations. That is another topic altogether. For now, this is the World Cup perspective of India.
The fact that the tournament is played in India makes India one of the favourites to reach the last 4 automatically. The last time, ODI World Cup was played in the country, we went onto win the title itself. That team had rich experience as well as power hitters right through the squad. Ofcourse, that team was very much short of bowling quality. Trundlers and Ashwin making his debut. The team of 2023 is also pretty experienced. The difference is that though the 2023 side lacks in power-hitting, it has a much better bowling attack than 2011. There are bowlers who are capable of bowling at 145KMPH. This is 15KMPH faster than the likes of Munaf Patel and Aashish Nehra. Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep make for a better spin bowling attack than Piyush Chawla. Overall, this team has bowlers who are capable of defending a score of 300.
Strength
It is undoubtedly, the batsmen. In Rohit & Kohli, the experience and batting under immense pressure is addressed and in Gill, Iyer and Rahul, this team has got batsmen who can accumulate runs. Jadeja and Pandya give the team the much-needed power hitting. They can transform a middling score into a dominating one. Together, this team has solid batsmen right to number 7. With the expected addition of Shardul Thakur or Ashwin, the tail will be shortened. This gives the batsmen a chance to play an aggressive type of batting thereby aiming for 325 and above.
Kuldeep Yadav with his new-found skill and confidence, can be a real game-changer for the team. He is a much-changed bowler with a bit more pace and guile. The recent showing against Pakistan, where he took 5 wickets, must have boosted his confidence.
Weakness
It is, unfortunately, the batsmen again. It is hard to believe but the problem with this side is that they for some reason go into a shell whenever an important tournament is being played. Rohit Sharma who constantly talks about playing a different form of cricket, does not seem to have inspired his team members to follow the same. Rohit himself is guilty of playing a simple cameo rather than post a substantial score. The 2019 World Cup was Rohit’s watershed moment. 5 hundreds was excellent by any standard. His partner, Shubman Gill is another who needs time to settle down and his ability against good bowling and on tough pitches is yet to be tested.
Kohli as he himself said once, needs time to get going. There is no guarantee that once he settles down, he will go onto mammoth scores. Rahul is similar to Kohli though, if he enters after the 40th over, he can be a different beast altogether. Chasing tall scores, everyone will be required to be on the top of their game rightaway and that is where this side lacks.
Opportunity
This is an opportunity that the side cannot afford to miss. It has been 10 years since India has won any ICC tournament. Now that the World Cup itself is being played in the country, it gives them a wonderful opportunity to lay all the ghosts to the rest. Every segment of the team must function as a well-oiled machine. Semi-final is the minimum that is expected from this team. Indian fans have been longing to see the team on the podium for
Threat
The fitness of key cricketers. Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul & Pandya have all come back after a lengthy period on the sideline due to various injuries. Shreyas was again injured after he returned. India will hope that none of them gets injured and remains fit throughout the tournament.
Bottomline
India definitely has a chance to move into the final 4. The fact that the tournament is in familiar surroundings and the overwhelming crowd support will be a massive advantage. Beyond semi-finals, it is anybody’s game. Does India have it within them to not just enter the finals but to win the tournament itself? I cannot say for sure because of the failure over the last 10 years.