Team India have been ticking all the right boxes heading into the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Men in Blue haven’t won an ICC trophy since 2013, but the team has been deemed a title favourite, in home conditions, having last lifted the elusive title in the 50-over format in India in 2011. And the expectations have risen with the Indian side perfectly timing their Asia Cup title haul before beating Australia twice in two games in the ODI series last week, with a game still to go. However, a Pakistan batting legend has outlined a “terrible” flaw in India’s World Cup preparations citing the issue during the team’s 99-run win against Australia in the rain-marred second ODI in Indore.
The batters put on a stunning show on Sunday at the Holkar Stadium where Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer scored their respective tons before skipper KL Rahul smashed a fifty and Suryakumar Yadav put on a blitzkrieg knock en route to his career-best score.
In response to the target of 400, Prasidh Krishna sparked an early breakthrough with twin dismissals with the new ball in consecutive deliveries before Ashwin ended the 80-run stand between David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne with a quick three-wicket haul to send Australia five down.
The visitors were eventually folded for 217 runs in just 28.2 overs, but former Pakistan batter Saeed Anwar was left disappointed at India’s show in Indore. While he admitted that India are the favourites to lift the ODI World Cup title for the third time, adding to their 1983 and 2011 glory, he outlined two factors that could also prevent them. Anwar picked the shorter boundaries as one of the factor and India’s death bowling as another.
Taking to X, he wrote: “But that inning of S. Abbott was gorgeous & terrible for India. In addition, I can sum up by saying, that India is the favorite to win the WC, but those small boundaries & death bowling will be the cause to prevent them.”
Anwar pointed out the issue by highlighting Sean Abbot’s 35-ball 54 scored between overs 19 and 29 in the rain-marred game which was reduced to 33 overs.
Since the start of 2023, where India have played 20 matches in the ODI format, the team has recorded an economy rate of 7.82 in the death overs (41-50). Among the 10 participants in the 2023 World Cup, India’s figure is only better than New Zealand (7.91) and South Africa (7.89). England (6.74) have the best economy rate in the death overs.
