ODI Cricket in the Spotlight Again: Five Things to Look Out for at the 2023 Men’s World Cup
If you do not believe the ‘Middle Child Syndrome’ is real, ask ODI cricket. It is now probably used to doubts regarding its future, fueled further by some of the world’s best players sacrificing the format due to workload management, giving preference to T20s and Tests. While that is likely to continue, the importance of the sport’s ‘original world championships’ simply cannot be ignored as winning an ODI World Cup is still a dream for many of cricket’s biggest names.
ODI cricket’s day in the sun is here again as the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup begins later this week, and we have you covered with the big talking points in the build-up.
Hurray for the hosts
If trends are something to go by, hosts India would be bustling with excitement. Up until the 2011 edition, hosting a World Cup was somewhat a curse as no team had won the tournament on home soil in the 36 years of the tournament’s history. MS Dhoni’s Team India broke the curse by lifting the trophy in 2011 and since then host nations have enjoyed great fortune. Australia won the 2015 ODI World Cup as co-hosts; and who could forget the 2019 final between England and New Zealand, widely regarded as the greatest ever World Cup finale, that saw hosts England clinch their first-ever ODI World Cup.
While the trend certainly gives 2023 hosts, India, the edge, their record at home adds weightage to their ‘favourites’ tag. Australia remains the only team to beat India in an ODI series at home since 2018. Having said that, it is certainly easier said than done. Most teams from outside the subcontinent are now better equipped to play in these conditions and would fancy their chances. We have the IPL to thank for that!
Master of all, Jack of none: The all-rounder impact
Arguably the biggest blessing a team could have, particularly in such a huge event, is players who can do it all. With victory and defeat often coming down to the barest of margins, more so in the modern game than before, those who can add a few more runs to the total, bowl some useful overs, and save runs in the field are more valuable than ever.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya (R) and England all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Take India’s team selection for example. Normally, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s inclusion in the team for a home World Cup would have been a no-brainer. However, the abilities of others, such as Axar Patel, R. Ashwin, and Shardul Thakur, to contribute in at least two, if not all three disciplines, earned them the nod over Chahal.
From the likes of Hardik Pandya, Ben Stokes, and Cameron Green to Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, and Glenn Maxwell, the biggest contenders for the title this year all have all-rounders who can liven up the stage. But those who come out on top will ultimately decide their side’s fate.
The ‘giant killers’: Why Afghanistan and the Netherlands are ready to pounce
Two teams that would certainly not be in the semi-final line-up predictions of any cricketing expert are Afghanistan and the Netherlands, and rightly so. However, both teams could ruffle a few feathers along the way.
Afghanistan will play five of their nine league games at venues that have traditionally favoured spinners. Despite the fact that they will face some of the title contenders in those games at Chennai, Delhi, and Lucknow, the trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi would be itching to unleash their box of tricks.
Afghanistan spinners Rashid Khan (L) and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.
Netherlands, on the other hand, have waited to play an ODI World Cup for a long time. The last time they played the event was co-incidentally in India back in 2011. They have earned their spot in the 10-team tournament after seeing off very tricky opponents in qualifying, including the West Indies, Scotland, and Zimbabwe. Not to forget, their inspired performance to stun South Africa in last year’s T20 World Cup. Look out for some of those ‘upsets.’
Closing in on history: Kohli’s quest
“He has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, so it’s time we carried him on our shoulders.” (via ICC)
These were the words of a 22-year-old Virat Kohli for his cricketing idol and all-time great Sachin Tendulkar moments after India won the 2011 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium. Twelve years later, senior statesman Kohli carries the hopes of over a billion people on his shoulders as the team’s most prolific batter.
At the same time, he also chases a massive bit of history. With 47 ODI hundreds to his name, Kohli is three away from breaking Tendulkar’s record for most hundreds by a player in ODI cricket history, thus also becoming the first player ever to score a half-century of centuries in the format.
If he can display the kind of form to secure this feat over the course of the World Cup, India will tick an important box on the road to the title.
Rohit Sharma and Mitchell Starc chase monumental World Cup feats
Another key factor in India’s title bid will be, skipper, Rohit Sharma’s form. He is the kind of player who needs one little push that can get him on a roll, something we saw in the 2019 edition, where he went on to score five hundreds. He needs only one more ton, though, to become the batter with most hundreds in men’s World Cup cricket, eclipsing that man Tendulkar again, who has six hundreds to his name at World Cups.
Another player who steps up at major events is Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc, who was the leading wicket taker at the two previous ODI World Cups, the only two he has played in his career. Starc picked up 49 wickets (22 in 2015 and 27 in 2019) in those two editions and another performance of that kind could see become the highest wicket-taker in men’s World Cup history, a record currently held by his countryman Glenn McGrath (71 wickets).
