World Cup 2023 | SWOT Analysis of India
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India will start their World Cup 2023 campaign against Australia (Source: AP Photos)
The ODI World Cup 2023 is around the corner. All the ten teams participating in the tournament are going about their final preparations. Regarding one of the favourites, India have had an ideal preparation for the mega event. The 'Men in Blue' have won their eighth Asia Cup title. The most significant plus point of this tournament is that it was in the ODI format, giving them the ideal platform to identify the holes in the team and repair them.
Now, moving ahead, let us look at India's squad for World Cup 2023 and analyse it to see what could be their fate in the tournament. The answer to whether India will lift the title after 12 years lies within how ideal the squad's composition is.
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Indian Squad for World Cup 2023:
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav.
Strengths of India for World Cup 2023
Balanced batting order
The Asia Cup 2023 has shown that India's batting order is well-sorted. In the tournament, we have seen the openers providing the platform, the top order making valuable contributions and the middle order soaking up pressure to bail the team out of crunch situations.
The fact that India will walk into World Cup 2023 with all their batters in good form will be one of their biggest strength. The team is well equipped to handle pace and spin, which will cause headaches for many of the oppositions.
A well-balanced bowling attack
Throughout the Asia Cup, we saw Indian bowlers putting their hands up in different matches. While against Nepal, Ravindra Jadeja picked up crucial wickets; against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Kuldeep Yadav delivered the game-changing spells. Again, in the final against Sri Lanka, Mohammed Siraj decimated the opposition with his lethal opening spell. And all this while, Jasprit Bumrah bowled very effective spells, creating the pressure from one end.
Thus, this shows us that the Indian bowling attack is well-equipped to perform in different conditions and match situations. This will be one of the biggest positives for India in the major event.
The home advantage
When was the last time India won the World Cup? Well, we all know the answer - 2011. And where was this World Cup held? This answer is also known to everyone - India. Eventually, since then, it has been the host country who have won the World Cup the following two times (2015 - Australia, 2019 - England). In the modern era, the home side has an advantage over the others in big tournaments.
This factor might work in favour of India during the World Cup 2023. They know the conditions like the back of their hands; the crowd will be behind them, cheering each run and celebrating each wicket they take. If the players can keep their nerves and handle the crowd's pressure, this can be a big positive for India.
Weaknesses of India for World Cup 2023
Sudden lacklustre performances in big matches
Over the past decade, the trophy cabinet of India has almost been empty. Even though they managed to win the bilateral series, they still need to deliver in the big multi-national tournaments. 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 - in all these instances, we have seen that the Indian batting order have suddenly failed in crunch matches like the semi-finals or knockouts.
This is one weakness, and hole is something that India will have to repair going into the World Cup 2023. If India can overcome this and get out of the loop, there will be fewer chances of stopping them from lifting their third ODI World Cup title.
Opportunites for India for World Cup 2023
Laying the paltform for an era of Indian domination
Over the past few years, India have been regarded as a superpower in the cricketing verse. But their failure to win the multi-national tournaments has been a reason we still cannot term the current era as the era of Indian cricket.
If India do manage to win the World Cup 2023, it will be the foundation stone of an upcoming era in the cricketing world, where India will be regarded as the 'Fuhrer'. Thus, this tournament presents Rohit Sharma and his men with the opportunity to usher in an era of Indian domination and replicate or, even better, the might of the Aussies from the late 90s and early 2000s.
Threats for India for World Cup 2023
Ravindra Jadeja' s off form with the bat
Ravindra Jadeja is currently one of the best, if not 'The Best' all-rounder. But recently, Jadeja has not been able to deliver with the bat. He has done a great job with the ball and has always been outstanding as a fielder. But his failure to deliver the bat is a threat, putting India in a very precarious situation regarding the flexibility and composition they are trying to achieve.
However, on a personal note, it is a reminder to the critics of Jadeja that ahead of the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj Singh was also going through a similar lean phase. But the team management trusted him, and in the end, Yuvraj Singh became the tournament's biggest match-winner. So, it is high time that we, as Indian cricket fans, remind ourselves of how Jadeja has given some crucial performances in crunch situations and have faith in him.
Team Report Card - India
| Attribute | Balance Rating |
|---|---|
| Top-Order | 7.5/10 |
| Middle-Order | 7.5/10 |
| Lower Order | 7/10 |
| Pace Bowling | 8/10 |
| Spin Bowling | 8/10 |
| Total Rating | 7.6/10 |
Prediction of India for World Cup 2023
On-paper India looks like one of the strongest side in the tournament. They should make it to the semis at the least, and if the Indian players perform to the best of their skills they might end up winning their third One-Day World Cup title.
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
