If the 19th Asian Games campaign boasting 100-plus medals served as a trailer for Indian sports fans, the real picture starts on Sunday for the cricket-obsessed country, when the Indian cricket team, sans in-form opener Shubman Gill, begins their ICC World Cup campaign in pursuit of a third title.
India will look to wrest the momentum gained from winning the Asia Cup and the recent bilateral series against Australia, as they begin their hunt in their campaign opener against the Kangaroos in Chennai.
To begin with a bit of trivia for the 1983 and 2011 champions, the Men-in-blue will head into the competition as the second best side after five-time champions Australia. Barring the early departure in the 2007 edition, India made the last four stages in all the editions since then (2011, 2015 and 2019). They were the runners-up in the 2003 edition staged in South Africa. And in that context, both India and Australia walk into the tournament as one of the title favorites in every edition.
The World Cup could be the final hurrah for a lot of Indian stars, especially those on the wrong sides of the 30s, beginning with the skipper Rohit Sharma, who at 36, knows that his legacy will be defined by whether he guides India to the fourth title on November 19.
Rohit’s predecessor, Virat Kohli is nearing 35, and could possibly stretch for one more World Cup going by his fitness standards. But in any case, Kohli, the best all-format batter of his generation, will look to get those three centuries to get past Sachin Tendulkar, the man he lifted on his shoulders 12 summers ago at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin (37) are the only members in the current set-up to have been part of the 2011 World Cup-winning captain. Similarly, Ravindra Jadeja (34), Mohammed Shami (33), also on the cusps of their likely final World Cup appearance would look to end on a high.
Then there is a young bunch of players in Shubman Gill, touted as India’s next batting superstar, will look to make an impact in his first World Cup appearance, along with the likes of Ishan Kishan, the explosive southpaw, who had made his presence count in the Asia Cup. KL Rahul, after being overlooked for the other two formats, will also look to make the most of the opportunity as he eyes the captaincy spot along with his best pal Hardik Pandya, the only genuine all-rounder India has been eyeing for long.
Come Sunday, the World Cup will eventually burst to life with India taking on Australia at the hallowed MA Chidambaram Stadium, after empty seats at other venues grabbed more headlines than the three matches so far in the tournament.
As far as India are concerned, the availability of Shubman, who has been in red-hot form, smoking five centuries in the calendar year, is doubtful after testing positive for dengue. In that scenario, the onus will be on Ishan or Rahul to open the innings with skipper Rohit. Shreyas Iyer will man the No.4 spot, and in case Rahul is promoted, Ishan could fit in at No 5, with Pandya, Jadeja and Ashwin following it up.
Against Australia, a lot will depend on how the Indian top order handles Glenn Maxwell’s off-breaks along with Adam Zampa’s leg-breaks at the Chepauk track that offers turn. As far as the Indian spin attack is concerned, a lot will bank on local lad Ashwin’s shoulders, as he knows the conditions in and out. Along with Ashwin, left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja will hold the key to India’s fate.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur.
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.