World Cup 2023
Though the fans have been second to none in neighbouring every expedition of India with dynamical feelings, yet this year has something special to religiously pray for. The season of retreating monsoons has a new colleague to celebrate during our festive flavours.
After 12 lengthy years, the cricketing carnival is back to the home of 2 time Champions, and India seem to have settled the jigsaw pieces in the cubicle at the precise time. The last 3 World Cups have been clinched by the home team, making lives easier for the Indian fans.
India walk into the World Cup as favourites and certainly carry the undiluted hopes of millions to push down the heavy monkey off their back. The lid is responsibly corked by the skipper and Gill. The skipper, being one of the elites from India to ever grace the ODI format, will be gazing to replicate his heroics from 2019.
Shubman, from his first day at office has been proficiently smart to dethrone Mr.ICC- Shikhar Dhawan. The brook, having received his cap in 2019, has been on song in the format of late. In the 35 ODIs he has played, he luxuriates an imposing baked average of 66 where his runs read 1917. Parachuting to break the legendary Tendularkar’s record, he’s just 665 runs away to hold the record of most runs in a single calendar year.
Focusing on effective strike rotation and capitalising on boundary scoring opportunities, Gill oozes elegance against spinners too, contrast to his earlier shortcomings in finding the swift rhythm on rank turners. In the encounter against Bangladesh, he highlighted that much anticipated maturity which he has wisely evolved over the last couple of months. His confident strides, precision cut strokes have showcased immense versatility.
In pursuit of excellence and holding a vital spot in the core unit, Gill will look to fire on all cylinders as India head towards the marquee event. No doubt that batting will be pivotal in transforming our dreams into reality, but Kuldeep’s wrist can turn menace and can put India on the cusp of victory on belter pitches too.
Being flaked for his truncated speed, the warhorse unsporadic anomaly will turn to be the X factor in the shoring jubilation. Kohli hasn’t looked back after his recession and is belligerent to raise up his stocks at the toughest of situations. India must be tempting and itching for a pageantry, but a spot still remains to be unsealed back since 2019.
The no.4 spot tiff still boils between SKY and Shreyas Iyer. Iyer has been in and out due to back spasms, but his breezy 90 ball 105 could’ve helped himself to seal his coach’s soft cornered heart. SKY seems to be a mouth watering option with the skillset he brings on the table. He could also be lodged at no.6 and urged to finish the games, but Iyer would’ve to make roam for it- which will be unfair for the man who has moored his position and has always risen to the occasion with constant tussle on his hands.
His game against the short deliveries is on a wave of improvisation and has significantly ameliorated. Jadeja needs a tap on his wrist for his skinny patch as a batter in ODIs. The ‘deemed best allrounder in limited overs’ experiences a bearish market and needs to scrutinise himself. Skillset aside, he makes his batting look frustrating and provokes fans to pull their hair.
Meandering as a confidant in batting, you would expect a batter to prove his mettle in international limited overs cricket too, where he scratches for his IPL work, with nothing following or preceding it. If you believe in unleashing your powerhouse pace attack and dismantling the opposition, the Mohali game against Kangaroos has a verdict for you. Shami picked 5 for 51, and made the job mystifying for the captain and the coach.
It’s cardinal to jot down that India will be unescorted of a no.8 batter if they nod their head for the above scenario, but Shardul can ignite your heart with a kindle of hope in times of a batting downfall, and has even made a career out of fluke deliveries which are least possible to be wicketaking. But ODIs like Birmingham write the arguments for a fan who believes that batting depth is non-negotiable.
Dhoni and Jadhav puzzled everyone for an unbroken 39 run stand, with no intention of clearing the ground. While their approach can be questioned, the thought that India is without the luxury of a batter downstream would’ve popped in their head. Thakur is nowhere a perfect bowler, but India won’t mind if they get the best out of a bowler from unrewarding deliveries. Only 27 bowlers in ODI history have picked 50 wickets at a strike rate of below 30, and Shardul owns a spot where he has the capability to get the ball behave in odd ways to gamble with cross-seam deliveries.
Thakur averages 15.50 and strikes at 114.28, of the India players to have occupied those slots at least 10 times, only Bhuvi has a better average than him. The Rajkot encounter had handcuffed Iyer and Jadeja from clearing the fence out of the park, which makes Shardul petition for his spot, which he’ll unquestionably procure as India have found a decent solution to a claustrophobic pain. “Ashwin, he has got the class, the experience of playing the sport, and handling the pressure.
Just because he hasn’t played ODIs in the last year or so, you cannot take away the class or experience that the individual has over the years. He has got enough game time and much happy with how things have panned out in the last couple of weeks.”, were the words of skipper Rohit, which turned to be a silver lining for Ashwin as the ace off spinner earned his name in the 15 member squad for the world cup.
He replaces Axar Patel who had injured his quadriceps during the Asia Cup and will require ample amount of time to recover. The new joiner to the team, Ashwin, will roll up his sleeves with the variations and will premier for the third time in an ODI World Cup.
While it’ll be tough for the drafted man to station his spot in the introductory playing 11, he could spice up things in the later half of the tournament where pitches are expected to weather off and take a substantial turn. Bumrah, who has come after an excruciating long injury lay off, could truly stand up to the occasion in the slog overs when the odds are stacked against the bowler.
To script a remarkable comeback after being thrashed by Aussies on a featherbed Rajkot strip makes the Indian fans pray for a comforting outing for the deleterious bowler. The home conditions favour the hosts, and India could not have been more ready by leathering Australia in the dress rehearsal, just preceding the ornamental event.
All eyes on Rohit and his crew, who march on to repeat the heroics of M.S Dhoni to end the drought for the garnished piece of jewellery.
India’s final squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 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, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
