If there’s a sport that Indians are truly passionate about, it’s cricket. It’s also a country that produced some of the biggest cricket players of all time. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that India is a favorite whenever a major cricket league is on, like the Cricket World Cup.
The 2023 edition of the World Cup will kick off on October 5, and India will be hosting the tournament. Many cricket fans out in the country are looking forward to ICC ODI Cricket World Cup betting online odds, but now comes the question: will India win the tournament?
In this article, let’s have a look at India’s chances and what people in the industry have to say.
India’s Cricket World Cup Performance
It’s been 10 years since India won their last ICC championship title under the leadership of MS Dhoni against England. Meanwhile, they reached the semi-finals during the 2015 Cricket World Cup but failed to triumph against Australia.
The performance of the team in 2015 was also quite impressive and many thought they’d win the tournament once again. They’ve been dominant throughout the season but unfortunately lost during the semi-final. Australia won by 95 runs during that match.
In the 2019 edition of the Cricket World Cup, the team was once again able to reach the semi-finals but New Zealand won the match with 239/8 and 50 overs. This also marked the end of MS Dhoni’s tenure as captain in ODIs because, after that, Virat Kohli already took captaincy.
India’s Current Squad and Preparations
India displayed strong gameplay during the previous two editions of the Cricket World Cup, and whether that’s something they’ll be able to replicate and improve is something that we’ll have to see. However, their recent activities seem to be disappointing fans.
It does seem like the team has been experimenting with their lineup on matches that could be considered as part of their preparation for the World Cup. They did decide to let Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the last 2 ODIs against West Indies.
Fans think that this was an odd move since Sharma and Kohli won’t have much game time before the tournament.
Aside from this, players like Ishan Kishan, Raturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, and Sanju Samson have been performing well in their matches before the World Cup, but unfortunately, they weren’t announced as Playing XI for this year. This too also made some fans wonder if that’s the right choice.
Here’s India’s full squad list for the 2023 Cricket World Cup:
Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav.
It’s worth noting that KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have recently recovered from their injuries. Rahul was reported to have already started practicing in late July after recovering from his thigh injury in the Indian Premier League.
Meanwhile, Iyer has been dealing with back spasms since his comeback during the Asia Cup. This was due to a bulging slipped disc and surgery. BCCI recently updated that he’s feeling better, but will still need to rest. That’s why he wasn’t present during India’s Super 4 match vs. Sri Lanka.
Whether he’ll be completely well by the start of the World Cup is unknown, but what’s certain is that he’s also not getting enough game time until then. Will India have him replaced? Well, the team still has until September 28 to make any changes. Otherwise, changes after this date will require approval from the ICC.
Former cricketer Kapil Dev was recently asked about what he thinks will be the outcome of the tournament. He said that India will always enter a tournament as a favorite as this has been the case for a long time. However, he isn’t sure about how things will pan out.
He said, “It’s all about how the team comes to terms with the expectations from all sides. We have won a World Cup at home, and I am sure the team, whoever gets selected, can do it again. A World Cup is coming in four years, and I hope the players will be fully prepared.”
Wrapping Up: Will India Win?
Well, we can only wait and see how India will perform this year. There is a home advantage this year, and this could hype the team up or pressure them enough to claim the championship. The 2023 Cricket World Cup will run from October 5 – November 19, 2023.
