The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is fast approaching. India are the host nation, and they are also the favorites to win the competition. But England will arrive in India later this year as the first team in the history of the sport to hold both the 20 Over and 50 Over World Cups.
So is it realistic for all this pressure to be heaped on the shoulders of Rohit Sharma and the Indian team? And should it not be England who is the team expected to win the competition when it gets underway on October 5th?
Jos Buttler’s England is the team to beat
As the current holders of both white-ball World Cups, England may feel they should be the betting favorites to win the 2023 Cricket World Cup. However, the latest betting on cricket odds has India at +210 to win the competition, with England at +320.
From a purely betting perspective, those odds seem close. And given India has a home advantage, plenty might believe they could be shorter. Indeed, if England were the team hosting the event, it is likely those odds would be the other way around.
Is England still in a rebuilding phase?
Eoin Morgan led England to their 2019 ICC World Cup win at Lord’s. But the man widely regarded as England’s greatest-ever white-ball captain is now retired. Also joining Morgan on the retired list is influential all-rounder Ben Stokes, although many believe he may be tempted to return to the England 50 Over side before the final squad is announced.
But If anybody thought England may be rudderless without Morgan’s leadership, then their T20 World Cup win in 2022 put that theory to bed. In Australia, Jos Buttler captained the side to their second T20 World Cup. And the Rajasthan Royals man will lead England in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
It is true, there are still plenty of questions that need answering about England’s 50 Over team. But with or without Ben Stokes, there are solid foundations in place in the England setup, and it would be foolish to underestimate them.
India is capable of beating England!
It may be a valid argument that England is the team to beat. But it’s also true that India is well able to beat them. And as well as having the largest talent pool of players in the world to select from, India also has home comforts and conditions. So there is no reason why India can’t overcome England.
England took advantage of home conditions in 2019 and won the World Cup. So India can take heart from that. And they know that without home advantage, the chances are England may not have lifted the trophy for the first time.
If India plays to its potential. Then it doesn’t matter who the team to beat is. Rohit Sharma and his team should win.