First up, a question unlike any you’d have wondered.
Does the Indian team really have the so-called advantage of being the hosts of the World Cup 2023? Well, one can reckon by using the fact that India does extremely well in the Indian conditions. If we look at the last three ODI World Cups, it is the hosts who have lifted the trophy. But one can reckon by saying the trophy wasn’t England’s in the last World Cup when they lifted it based on the boundary count.
Is home advantage a myth or reality? Well, it can be turned into an advantage by considering the strengths and using those while choosing the venues or finding the perfect combinations.
However, the Indian team may have been able to find the perfect 15-man squad in terms of quality, experience and form of the players. But have they excelled in the department where they had the luxury of choosing the venues for their own games?
No, they haven’t. There are a few stronger teams in terms of quality and the BCCI have excelled in choosing the most ironic venues to play against them.
Here are the reasons why:
Playing Australia at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium
Looking at the statistics, Australia have played six ODIs at this venue and have won five of them despite being the away team. Also, they have played three against India and have won two of them. The pitch seems to get slower as the game progresses, so if India will be chasing, they might lose this one.
While the Indian team have played 15 ODIs here at this venue, winning just seven and losing six of them. It is pretty evident that the Indian team have not been their best at this venue. They had a chance to put a weaker side as compared to the Australian team, who are the five-time World Cup champions. But they had to challenge themselves and that too in the opening game of a tournament, where you need to have momentum going forward.
Playing New Zealand in Dharamshala
Choosing Dharamshala over other venues to play the Kiwis, is like axing your own foot. Seems like BCCI is not aware that these are the best-suited conditions for the seamers with the ground surrounded by hills. Or they aren’t aware of what Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Matt Henry can do in these conditions. How can they move on from the 2019 World Cup yet?
Another dumb choice from the hosts as again they challenged themselves by playing the best swing bowlers in the best swinging conditions when they had the chance to play any other team.
Playing England at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
England, who will be defending their World Cup title will be playing against India at one of the slowest surfaces. The bowling line-up that England have, including the likes of Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran, this surface will be nothing but more advantageous to them as compared to the Indian team.
Why did BCCI choose the toughest venues to play the toughest teams when they could play the top four teams of the tournament at venues like Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and even Hyderabad? The batting line-up of the English team is the deepest among all the teams, and on surfaces like this where the collapses are likely to happen, Jos & the company have all the advantage.
Playing South Africa at Eden Gardens
This historic ground offers a decent amount of bounce and pace and not everyone is a great puller like Rohit in the Indian team. Even Rohit has gotten out on short deliveries many times. With six and seven-foot-tall bowlers, South Africa will be challenging the Indian batting line-up. But if one gets set in the middle, it becomes a batting paradise.
With the likes of Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada, the Indian team can get into trouble at the Mecca of Indian cricket, Eden Gardens. And the Proteas batters, who are pretty familiar playing on bouncy and pacey surfaces might have no threat.
Playing Afghanistan in Delhi
With Afghanistan having the best current spinners in the cricket world, India have chosen to play them on a surface which is a spinner’s deck. Afghanistan have the capability to surprise any team in this World Cup as their batting has improved and the batters are looking in touch.
Even in the last World Cup, the Afghans surprised the Indians, but Shami’s hat-trick brought India back into the game. This time they cannot be taken lightly as India might also rest a couple of their frontline players with the tournament being long, which can be advantageous for the Afghans.
Playing weaker teams at the flattest decks
The Netherlands at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangladesh in Pune, and Sri Lanka at the Wankhade Stadium, the Indian team and the BCCI could have chosen these venues for the teams who can be a threat to the Indian team, rather they have chosen to play tough teams in toughest conditions.
Well, it seems like the hosts will have to do their best throughout the tournament, as eventually, they will be facing the tougher opponents at the later stage of the tournament. But the point is, the point where they could go easy in the tournament, they will have to fight hard.
