Pressure On Mighty India To Perform As Host Of Cricket World Cup

It’s fair to say that the World Cup has not started with the type of fanfare expected of its showpiece event.

The opener between defending champions England and New Zealand – a rematch of the epic 2019 final – was rather mocked for the eyesore of sparse stands at the large expanses in Ahmedabad.

The showy 132,000-capacity, grandiosely named, Narendra Modi Stadium looked barren with just a smattering of fans in attendance for the start.

The crowd inevitably filled up and reportedly got to 40,000 fans – there were no official figures – but it all felt rather subdued.

It certainly wasn’t the look anticipated for a World Cup opener and juxtaposed with the packed terraces at the concurrent rugby World Cup in France.

Why hosts India did not play the opener is baffling. But the scheduling oversight was symbolic of this tournament’s rather shambolic organizing with tickets going on sale only six weeks in advance.

The final schedule was only confirmed two months ago largely due to the never-ending warring between foes India and Pakistan.

Add to the mix, a decline in popularity over the maligned 50-over format and seemingly apathy in a cricket-mad country in the grips of India performing well at the Asian Games – the world’s second biggest multi-sports event.

The matches so far have been lopsided in an anti-climax. It feels like an innocuous launch, but it’s set to finally ignite when India play fellow power Australia in a blockbuster on Sunday.

It might well be a preview of the final with India entering as favorites, while Australia own this event having won the World Cup a record five times. But Australia have not won a World Cup – in either format – in South Asia since 1987.

With England stuttering in their opener, as fears rear that their remarkable white ball run may have peaked, this really is India’s tournament to lose. They are incredibly dominant at home – more so in Test cricket, but across formats too – and have all bases seemingly covered.

Their batting firepower might be unparalleled and led by Virat Kohli, who is desperate for a title 12 years after he was part of India’s unforgettable home triumph as a rising star.

This might well be Kohli’s swansong and so too skipper Rohit Sharma, who so often has gotten India rollicking at the top with his heavy hitting.

With their mixture of quality quicks and spinners, India’s bowling is well stocked and equipped to handle the variety of conditions that will be thrown up during this long tournament ending on November 19.

But it’s not that easy. India, of course, have the pressures from their expected populace craving a long-awaited title.

Almost shockingly, given their wealth of talent combined with being clearly the richest cricket nation that also gobbles most of the available funds, India have not won an ICC event in a decade.

For a country that should be the equivalent of the U.S. in basketball, India have shockingly underperformed on the big stage.

Quite clearly, they have not been able to grapple with the vast expectations – capitulating too often in the pointy end of tournaments.

“I know what is at stake. The guys who are a part of the team know what is at stake. For us, it is about taking everything out and focusing on what we want to do as a team,” a typically pragmatic Rohit said.

Whether India can end this hoodoo amid the suffocating cauldron – which will feel notably different to the tournament’s sedate start – remains to be seen.