With less than a month to go before the World Cup, things are falling into place for India and there’s good reason to hope that an end to their trophyless run could be around the corner, writes Naman Agarwal.
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What would you do when you’ve been through nine heartbreaks in ten years? Would you tone down your expectations and shut yourself off when the next opportunity arises, or approach each fresh chance with renewed optimism? For India fans, a home World Cup should entice that small ray of hope to flicker once again.
Everyone knows the drill by now though. You’ve seen it all before. The pre-tournament hype and a fast-start before the cracks begin to surface. But, by then, too much has been invested to lose hope before the definitive end, until, sure enough, India have been knocked out of another ICC tournament without a trophy.
Why then, should you risk doing it all over again? As ever, it’s because this time is different, really, it is. It’s a 50-over World Cup at home. There’s a squad full of first-choice players, with a good mix of youth and experience. And, despite all the chaos that has ensued over the last couple of years of experimentation and instability, every piece of the puzzle is coming together at the right time.
Rohit Sharma has managed to marry consistency with his new self-proclaimed aggressive approach at the top. Shubman Gill has been an ODI monster this year and his jump to No.2 in the ICC Men’s ODI batting rankings validates that. Both of them together have registered nine 50-plus opening partnerships out of 12.
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Virat Kohli has started looking like himself again after two years of an impostor wearing the No.18 jersey. KL Rahul’s comeback century against Pakistan, after six months out of the side and informed of his place in the XI ten minutes before the toss, brings hope of newfound returns. Ishan Kishan has taken to his new role like a duck to water.
Ravindra Jadeja is high on confidence with the ball, Hardik Pandya is also in-form in both disciplines. No fast bowler about to appear in the World Cup has taken as many wickets as Shardul Thakur in the middle overs since last year. Mohammad Siraj is the world’s leading ODI wicket-taker since last year among the teams set to play in the World Cup.
Kuldeep Yadav has found a second wind to his ODI career and Jasprit Bumrah took just 12 overs to be back to his absolute best.
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Whenever India have done well in ODIs in the last decade, they’ve followed a familiar template. The top order has scored heavily, new ball bowlers have provided early inroads, and spinners have choked oppositions through the middle. This hard-to-mistake template has been visible in the 2023 Asia Cup, with the added dimension of the middle order stepping up, an area that has not always been India’s strength in white-ball cricket.
Things did not look as good a month back. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Bumrah were all recovering from injuries with no guarantee of when they would be available. All three of them had been injured for a long time, leading to the selectors and the team management having to prepare contingency plans. Naturally, not everything made sense. But now that it does, India are suddenly looking like the team to beat in the World Cup.
Things could still fall apart. India have five games to go before their first match in the World Cup. Players can get injured and form can drop off. But until any of that happens, it’s hard to deny the obvious momentum they’re gaining. It’s time to focus on the pieces coming together, on the dazzling top order, the sizzling new-ball pair, the unfamiliar middle-order prowess, and the reliable spin threat. Who knows, this time, it really could be different.
