My World Cup previews start with the hosts themselves - the men in blue. The champions of the 2023 Asia Cup. The Indian Team has arguably been the most consistent team across formats in the last 10 years. But, after they won the 2013 champions trophy in England, they have not won a major multilateral tournament. They have come close to winning it all several times. They made the semi-finals in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2022. They made the finals in 2014, 2017, 2021, and 2023. But the team has returned home disappointed and heartbroken every single time.
The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is a new chance. The last three ODI world cups have been won by the hosting nations - 2011(India), 2015(Australia), and 2019(England). Australia and England were also the number 1 ranked teams prior to the world cup, India will enter the world cup as the number 1 ranked team. The Chennai Super Kings won the IPL in 2011, they won this year too. Can these coincidences finally end their trophy drought?
Squad
Likely XI
Rohit Sharma (C)
Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli
Shreyas Iyer
KL Rahul (wk)
Hardik Pandya
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravichandran Ashwin/Shardul Thakur (Ashwin on a turning track, Shardul on others)
Kuldeep Yadav
Jasprit Bumrah
Mohammed Siraj
Positives
(1). Rohit has been explosive at the top for a long time. This makes him prone to dismissals more often than before. But his risky batting style gives the Indian team a new dimension that other teams have but India has lacked for a long time. His explosive presence at the top with a calm and composed Gill gives India fiery starts more often than not, and on his day, Rohit will convert his high strike to a high score. And of course, the skipper of a team hitting the ball well is a happy sign for the team.
(2). I don’t need to say anything about Gill. He has scored 1230 runs in 20 innings this year. This includes a double century, four centuries, and five half-centuries. That means he has scored a 50+ score in every other match this year. That is a wild statistic. Shubman has had one of the greatest starts to a career any player has ever had. He oozes class, he turns heads every time he takes on the field. It is astounding that a 24-year-old is in contention to be the player of the tournament in his first World Cup. With Gill, India has an opening pair as good as any, if not better.
(3). Virat Kohli has played 8 ODIs since March, very few considering the number of matches India has played. Nevertheless, he’s looked good every time he’s picked up the bat. He is still scratchy at times, and is weak against spin, especially in the middle overs. But one promising sign for the team is that he has begun to use his feet against spin once again. If you remember the monster that Kohli was in 2018, you’ll remember him using his feet very aggressively to create runs and boundaries against spin. He’s doing that again. Since his return to form in 2022, Kohli has scored 5 ODI centuries. And on most days, he’s as destructive as he ever was. If he can get going at 3, India might just have the best top 3 in the tournament.
(4). Shreyas Iyer caught a slight niggle during the Asia Cup that kept him out of the side for the tournament. But he struck back phenomenally with a dominant century against Australia in the 2nd ODI. He dominated the bowlers right from the start. Iyer too looks in fine touch before the World Cup.
(5). I had questions and doubts about Ishan Kishan before the Asia Cup. But his knock against Pakistan has cleared all my doubts. India was struggling and had lost their top order in no time. But KL Rahul and Ishan masterfully orchestrated one of the finest partnerships I have seen. Haris, Shaheen, and Naseem were breathing fire, but Ishan Kishan knew how to tame them. He’s in some touch and can walk in the side for either Iyer or KL if necessary.
India’s middle order is one of the strongest of any teams in the tournament. KL Rahul is a big reason why. It's no surprise that KLR has faced a lot of criticism over the past couple of years, and his poor form in T20s didn’t help. But his return in the Asia Cup and the Australia series has been glorious. He has scored an exceptional hundred against Pakistan, scored 50s, and kept very well in most of the games. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t a guaranteed starter for India.
(6). In a small sample space, Hardik batted well in the Asia Cup. He’s been a dormant version of himself for the past couple of years. Hardik made a name for himself with his explosive batting, his monstrous maximums, and a perfect game against spin, and he seems to be returning to his original self. And if he can produce extraordinary fast-paced knocks at the World Cup, he makes India the outright favorites. His bowling too has vastly improved. On his day, he can give you 10 full overs, and 10 good overs. His bounce and variations are surprisingly difficult to read, and he can consistently get wickets. Hardik is what you call “a big match player”. And India needs such players to get past the final hurdle.
(7). A staggering similarity between the 2011 team and the 2023 team is their bowling. India 2011 had a magnificent bowling lineup, every player could get wickets, and most bowlers were three-dimensional, meaning they could bowl in all three power plays. This year’s team has a brilliant bowling lineup too. They have Siraj and Bumrah at the top, Kuldeep, Hardik, Jadeja, and Shardul/Ashwin for the middle and death, and Bumrah and Siraj as the main bowlers at the death too. India’s bowling lineup has great spin options and great pace options.
India annihilated Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final. Siraj took a 6-wicket haul, absolutely incinerating every batsman.
(8). Bumrah doesn’t seem to have lost his stride despite his lengthy injury. His pace, line, and length have been nothing short of astounding to see. You would never know he was out of the game for a year. Probably the biggest positive in the squad is the return of Jasprit Bumrah, adding teeth to an already potent Indian bowling lineup.
(9). India has a bowler who I believe is the frontrunner to be the leading wicket-taker of the World Cup - Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep spent a long time outside the team, he learned and added speed to his bowling. He now bowls at a faster pace and spins the ball faster through the air, this makes his deliveries harder to read and gives the batsmen less time to react. This subtle change has made him a deadly bowler. And I can’t name many batsmen that can efficiently score against him, he’ll get the upper hand against most batsmen.
(10). SKY has finally figured out the ODI code. A magnificent 72 of 37 deliveries against Australia in the second ODI was a statement. He won’t and shouldn’t be in the first XI, but it’s great that every squad member is clicking at the right time.
(11). Unfortunately, Mohammed Shami will most likely miss out on the first XI. But he was brilliant against Australia too. He is a proven veteran, and he will perform whenever given the chance, and some good game time will help.
To sum it up:
Batting is clicking.
Bowling is clicking.
The entire squad is in great form.
Home advantage.
Negatives
Virat Kohli hasn’t got enough game-time behind him. And although he’s looked good at times, his batting doesn’t make me fully confident. It’s a long tournament, but he will need to start off well.
Shardul Thakur is probably the only weak link in the squad. His bowling has been mediocre at best, and he hasn’t had a good batting performance in ODIs for a long time. He will play in the team a lot, and has to find a way to optimize his time on the field, and contribute every possible way he can.
Shreyas Iyer had a slight hand injury during the 2nd ODI, and that is his biggest weakness. He needs to maintain his fitness through this long tournament.
India has a very potent bowling lineup, but it has a weakness, probably the only way to get through their defenses. Attack their frontline bowlers. Australia did this in the third ODI. They targeted the Indian pacers in the powerplay, and Australia only lost 1 wicket in the first 10 overs. And their middle order struggled to strike too, so aggression is the only way to score huge against India.
India looks like a team that can falter during massive chases. There isn’t much data to support this notion, and the team has several players that can orchestrate a chase beautifully. But, the team has failed to chase 350+ scores in the recent past. Probably not a weakness, but just a feeling.
To sum it up:
Kohli lacks game-time and 100% fluency.
Shardul not contributing enough.
Shreyas Iyer’s fitness.
The bowling lineup can crumble if attacked in the first 10 overs.
The batting lineup can falter in huge chases.
World Cup Games Prediction
INDIA vs. AUSTRALIA at Chennai (October 8th): WIN
INDIA vs. AFGHANISTAN at Delhi (October 11th): WIN
INDIA vs. PAKISTAN at Ahmedabad (October 14th): WIN
INDIA vs. BANGLADESH at Pune (October 19th): WIN
INDIA vs. NEW ZEALAND at Dharamsala (October 22nd): WIN
INDIA vs. ENGLAND at Lucknow (October 29th): WIN
INDIA vs. SRI LANKA at Mumbai (November 2nd): WIN
INDIA vs. SOUTH AFRICA at Kolkata (November 5th): WIN
INDIA vs. NETHERLANDS at Bengaluru (November 12th): WIN
Final Record: 9 wins, 0 losses.
It seems like I am flying high with optimism for the team, but I genuinely believe this Indian team is formidable. And that they will go through the league stage winning all games and finishing with a 9-0 record. I don’t think that’s a good thing, and I hope they lose at least 2 games so that they make the mistakes before the semi-finals or the finals and can learn from their mistakes before playing the main games.
Player Predictions
Most Runs: Virat Kohli
Most Wickets: Kuldeep Yadav
Most Sixes: Rohit Sharma
Impact Player: KL Rahul
Biggest Disappointment: Shardul Thakur
Wild Card Player: Ravichandran Ashwin
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