Are India Peaking At The Right Time For The Cricket World Cup?

India haven’t won an ICC trophy for the last decade. They would be billionaires if that sentence was monetised and put into the team coffers for motivation. The 2023 Cricket World Cup just happens to be on India’s home patch which means that the microscope will be turned up to a searing, laser-like focus. Rohit Sharma’s team cannot escape the glare and expectation that followed the country’s last slice of global glory in Mumbai twelve years ago.

In 2011, skipper MS Dhoni won the trophy with a six in a brilliant innings of 91. For the last few years of his career, the captain-cum-hero became shotless at times, forever pilloried for scoring too slowly. That tortoiseshell pace has been part of India’s problem in recent times. The game has moved on fast. India stood still on the launchpad watching other teams rocket boost into orbit.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has been scathing about their approach in white ball cricket, especially after Sharma’s side were hammered by England in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Australia last November. “India are the most under-performing white-ball team in history. Every player in the world who goes to the Indian Premier League says how it improves their game but what have India ever delivered?” Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

At least the Men in Blue have stopped the trophyless streak across all formats. The crushing victory at the Asia Cup over Sri Lanka this month was their first piece of silverware since they beat Bangladesh in the same competition in 2018. Truth be told, the Lions were poor opponents in the final, bowled out for a mere 50.

There was some excellent batting practice for Virat Kohli and Kl Rahul in a huge victory over arch-rivals Pakistan during the tournament and a return to the top of the ICC rankings for Mohammed Siraj after his excellent performances. Tellingly, new poster boy Shubman Gill made a classy hundred against Bangladesh although India’s familiar Achilles heel was a lack of runs in the middle overs which led to a fatal stall in the pursuit of 265.

As their opening fixture comes into view against Australia, the hosts have gained a mental edge in the current ODI series against the same opposition, almost reaching the 400 barrier. Every single batsman bar Ruturaj Gaikwad managed a strike rate between 107 and 194 as the home team went two up with one to play. Gill looks in scintillating form at the top of the order and the best T20 batter in the world, Suryakumar Yadav, finally hit his straps in the 50-over format with a 37-ball 72. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who stroked a magnificent double century against Bangladesh in December, also impressed.

India’s failures at the business end of ICC tournaments are not a personnel matter, but rather one of a mindset that has veered towards the defensive far too often. The two-time winners have the batting and bowling talent to compete with any nation. The realisation has been incremental. Even Sharma’s tempo has increased since he became skipper in 2021, recently becoming the second quickest player to 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.

India’s mastery of domestic conditions should sway things heavily in their favour to provide a surer footing that was missing elsewhere. In the 2019 World Cup semi-final, they did the hard work to restrict New Zealand to 239 off 50 overs at Old Trafford. The Kiwi attack was more at home in English cloud and dismissed Rahul, Sharma and Kohli for an aggregate of three runs to decimate the chase. At one point, they crawled to 92 for 6 off 30 overs – a truly archaic trudge – before a late rally saw them fall short by 18 runs.

The return of Jasprit Bumrah after eleven months out with a back injury is crucial to their chances. Mohammed Shami is classed as one of the best strike bowlers in ODI cricket with an average of almost two wickets per game over the last 28 innings. He might not even get into the first XI, so strong are the options.

Veteran Ravichandran Ashwin isn’t in the current World Cup squad, but after taking three wickets alongside fellow spinner Ravi Jadeja at the weekend, he looks a brilliant bet for a last stand. They also have the wrist spin of Kuldeep Yadav up their sleeve, a rhythm bowler who could explode if the conditions are right.

India are the favorites for the Cricket World Cup. That’s a fact that will either inspire or inhibit them. Kohli and company cannot escape the headlines that follow every result or mini drama. It’s time to overcome the demons and dominate for the number one team in the world.