The 2023 Cricket World Cup is fast approaching, with the competition set to begin on October 5, and the final slated for November 19. We take a look at the prospects of India being crowned world champions.
Each and every side that has made it to the showpiece event will believe they have every chance of lifting the trophy, but some sides have a better chance than others.
Perennial World Cup winners Australia will arrive among the favourites, while England are the reigning champions after triumphing on their own soil back in 2019, but where are India in the betting?
The Indian national team has long craved another World Cup success after their latest one in 2011, but can they handle the pressure this year?
India arrive as the favourites to win the World Cup with bookmaker Stake, who offer the promo code NEWBONUS, at 3.20 to lift the trophy, with England (4.00) and Australia (5.00) right behind them.
Reigning champions England look like the most well-balanced side, while Australia rarely fail to make it to the latter-stages of the competition. All of the focus for India must be on playing their own game and taking each match as it comes. They need to isolate their clash with a side and ignore the noise around each game.
While some claim a side should be aware of what is going on around them, if India concentrate solely on taking it one game at a time and win each match by doing this, then they will win the World Cup. The noise that comes with the Indian team is huge with their fans so expectant, meaning the pressure will be on.
Worrying for India is their recent ODI series with Australia. Despite having home advantage in the three-match series, India crashed to a 2-1 defeat in a frustrating series for the side. Mitchell Marsh proved a constant thorn in the side of India as he continually scored runs.
With India set to play Australia on October 7, they need to find a way to get on top of Marsh before he can go big. We will also have a very good idea of how India are doing at their own competition by the time they face England on October 28, with only three matches in the group left following that match.
Another very interesting point will be how their batting performs. Australia had India teetering at 191/5 in the first ODI before they dismissed their hosts for 117 and 248.
The top order of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli are not perfect in their approach, with Sharma eventually brought in for Kishan from the second ODI. However, none of the four could really excel at any point, with Kohli’s 54 in the third ODI the best any of them could score in a losing cause.
The worry for India is that things could quickly fall apart if their top-order struggles. Having KL Rahul to come in at four does add some real firepower and the ability to grind out a score in a deeper position than he is generally used. However, for all of the explosive batting Suryakumar Yadav can bring, he was dismissed for three golden ducks across the three ODI’s in an embarrassing run.
Yadav may be the finisher India need, but he faced up to two balls against Australian quick Mitchell Starc, and he was trapped in front twice as he was given out LBW, while he was bowled by Ashton Agar in the third ODI.
When India’s batting is firing, they are brilliant, but when things are bad, they snowball.
Bowling wise, India should be excellent on their own turf. Ravindra Jadeja provides quality with both bat and ball, and he is expected to get his opponents in a spin across the competition.
As big moment bowlers go, the likes of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav provide some real quality.
Ultimately, good rotation is vital for India with their two best bowlers in Shami and Jadeja 32 years or older. The physical toll that so many ODI matches will have on a player could cause fatigue and injury to set in early, meaning the pair will need to be rested if India do go deep at the World Cup.
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Honestly, India’s odds of winning the World Cup feel short. Their top-order may be superb on their day, but there is the propensity for disaster. Their middle-order can also be explosive, but how will three golden ducks in a row against Australia play on the mind of Yadav ahead of the World Cup?
India’s bowling unit is superb, and they know the conditions they will face better than anyone, but can they shoulder the burden of so many games in such a short space of time? While India do look like a genuine contender heading into the World Cup, it will likely be the exploits of their bowling attack that either wins or loses them the trophy in their own backyard.
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