- For cricket aficionados, it does not get bigger than the World Cup – 50 over variety – played every four years. This year is a World Cup year and that too being played in India during the months of October-November. As the host nation and the only country to organize the event unlike earlier editions, the Board of Control for Cricket in India mandarins must be acutely aware of the importance attached to the event. We know how India’s cricket revenue is majorly generated for the International Cricket Council coffers. As such, the BCCI and ICC would leave no stone unturned in making the latest edition the most successful one in the history of the multilateral tournament. As cricket crazy nation, we all are cued up for the event to kickstart in right earnest.
PC: Reuters
- The moot point to ponder over here is how Team India is faring leading up to the biggest cricket extravaganza scheduled in the coming months. Team India’s performances in ICC-sponsored events over the years have been anything but spectacular. Even though Team India has reached the semifinal stage of the ICC events in the short and the shortest format as well as finals in the longest format, repeatedly failing to cross the last hurdle to emerge victorious must be a concern. Team India has flattered to deceive on more than one occasion despite possessing some modern-day superstars and proven performers. Thus, the question must be bogging cricket enthusiasts as to why Team India finds itself at the receiving end during knockout matches.
- As the saying goes – why investigate the past when a potentially bright future beckons – Team India and the BCCI mandarins must be making every effort to ensure we emerge triumph by leaving no stone unturned vis-à-vis preparations. Now what preparation have we seen in the last few months? After the defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship in England, Team India embarked on a tour to the West Indies to play two Test matches, three ODIs, and five T20Is. Yes, five T20Is in a 50-over World Cup year which simply makes no sense at all. Last read, Team India has already suffered two successive losses in the T20Is, and the series is in danger of losing out to the less-fancied team. Yes, Team India won the 50-over series 2-1, why are irrelevant T20Is now?
PC: SportsTalk
- Note that injuries to some of the key players like Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Prasidh Krishna have already hampered the preparations for the big event. Of this, Bumrah is making a comeback in the ensuing Ireland series. It’s touch and go for KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer suffering from serious injuries to make it to the World Cup. Surya Kumar Yadav has repeatedly failed to produce his scintillating form of T20 into the 50-over format. The rest of the stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubhman Gill, and Ravindra Jadeja select themselves but what about other members of the team? The question remains unanswered. Rather than five T20Is in West Indies, Team India could have fine-tuned the preparations for the World Cup.
