There’s a certain sense of inevitability that India is going to win this World Cup. Everyone feels the same way- some acknowledge it while others bury it deep down within their hearts to not jinx it in any way.
It all comes down to the final now. On Sunday. In Ahmedabad.
The Indian Cricket Team has never dominated a tournament like they are doing now. The batters- three of them in the top-five leading run getters in this WC, the bowlers- getting the opposition all-out in every match except against Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and the fielders giving their 110% on the field.
Apart from the opening game against Australia when India were reduced to 2/3 at the start of the chase, the batters have not been put under duress.
Virat Kohli leads the list of highest run-scorers in the ICC World Cup 2023 after the semi-final stage.
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Shubman Gill has shown why he belongs at the top while Rohit has shown him why numbers can’t always do justice to a player’s impact. Gill remains as the only batsman in the top five of the Indian batting lineup who has not scored a century. Despite a brilliant clutch innings in the semifinals, he had to go out of the field due to an injury.
Kohli tops the charts as the highest run scorer and continues to play anchor and hold the innings from one end. Not just that he has scored 711 runs in India's 10 matches, but they've come at a staggering average of 101.57.
15th November; on the same date Tendulkar made his debut, 34 years later, Kohli broke his record of the most ODI centuries and immortalised himself with his 50th ODI ton at the Wankhede, bowing down and taking over from the master!
While parallels have always been drawn between him and his idol; Virat will look to find closure in the same way and win the World Cup for a record second-time.
Virat Kohli scored his 50th ODI century, against New Zealand in the 2023 ICC World Cup.
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Shreyas Iyer, who has been constantly criticised for his “short-ball approach” in the initial stages of the tournament, has come back with all the right answers. In his last four matches he has scored 82, 77, 128*, and 105 in the most important knockout match against New Zealand. In the process, he has scored the most runs in a WC by an Indian middle order batsman- 526 .
KL Rahul has never looked more 'klassy'- be it with the bat at number 5, while anchoring the innings against Australia with an unbeaten 97 or scoring a century in just 62 balls in the last league match against Netherlands.
SKY’s noteworthy 49 in a low scoring thriller against England in Lucknow proved to be decisive. Jadeja, at number 7, with his unbeaten 39 won India the match in Dharamshala.
However, without any doubt, India owe their dominance in this World Cup to their bowlers. They have bowled out the opposition 8 out of 10 times and restricted them to below 200 5 out of 10 times with two totals under 100.
Jasprit Bumrah has gone for just below 2.80 in the powerplay. He acts as the catalyst, putting pressure on the opposition and helping the other bowlers take wickets. He arguably has the best bowling economy of just 3.98 in the tournament with 17 wickets. He is supported well by Siraj from the other end who now has 13 wickets.
Shami, galloping in from one end, with that seam position, is India’s X-factor in this WC. Man of the Match in the semi-final with the best bowling figures in the tournament- 7/57. In almost half the matches than everyone else, he has now taken 23 wickets and sits at the top with the best bowling average in the tournament at just 9.13. In the list of top spells, he sits at top, second with 5/18 against Sri Lanka, fifth with 5/54 against New Zealand and ninth with 4/22 against England.
Shami delivered once again in the semi final by picking up both the openers in the powerplay. Just when things looked to be going away, he picked up Williamson and Latham in the same over.
There is no stopping Shami when he steams in, it is as simple as that.
Mohammed Shami leads the list of highest wicket-takers in the ICC World Cup 2023 after the semi-final stage.
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Jadeja’s 5/33 helped him become the only Indian spinner after Yuvraj to take a fifer in World Cup history. His partner in crime, Kuldeep, has played a silent role throughout. The dismissal of Buttler might just be the wicket of the tournament.
So if you survive the opening spell of Bumrah and Siraj, there is Shami waiting to greet you with his sweet seam. If Shami has an odd bad spell, in comes Jaddu with his experience on Indian pitches with Kuldeep flighting the ball from the other end.
“Ridiculously good” to say the least.
Despite the fears of “45 minutes of bad cricket” looming large, we don’t see India dropping a match. Of course they could have a bad day but even if the team has a half a good day, it would be enough to trash the opposition.
If there was anything that India wanted to test before going into the final, it was a close match- and man did they get one in the semis. Virat’s 50th century, Shreyas’ back to back centuries, Rohit’s explosive form at the top, Gill converting those 50s into big scores, KL finishing the innings and calling shots in the reviews, Shami’s gun-form, Bumrah’s death bowling and the Jaddu-Kuldeep duo being ever consistent- India look perfect.
There are plots and there are subplots- but India’s journey in this World Cup is a saga in itself.
It was almost unfair to India that they were equal to New Zealand even after defeating every opposition in the tournament. This unfairness, however, brings with it- justice. Justice to all the fans who have waited this long for India to lift an ICC trophy, justice to Virat Kohli for spearheading this mentality in fast bowling during his captaincy tenure, justice to Rohit Sharma for everyone who has questioned his ability as a captain and justice to cricket- if ever there was one.
India’s date with destiny remains against Australia in the final of CWC 2023.
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