Article Posted on 17 October, 2023

Australia

Australia cannot be written off in any major tournaments and this time around, similar thing can be said about them.

However, Australia have had to battle a few injury issues with the likes of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc making a comeback from injuries.

Travis Head had fractured his hand and Australia expect him to participate in the second half of the tournament.

In Head’s absence, Mitchell Marsh has done an impressive job and it was his innings that put Australia in the driver’s seat in the final ODI against India at Rajkot.

"He's a really important player for us and hopefully when he does come on line and is available, he can have a really big impact for us towards the back end of the tournament," head selector George Bailey said after naming the final 15-man squad.

Australia only have one specialist spinner in their squad, though they are likely to use Glenn Maxwell as the other frontline spinner in India.

Australia’s bowling was tested in the recent ODI series against India, and this will be an area of concern for them going into the tournament.

Marnus Labuschagne's decent form with the bat will also give Australia another edge since his presence in the middle overs will be crucial.

Majority of Australian cricketers have been featuring in the cash-rich IPL and their local knowledge of the conditions in India will also be another bonus for them.

"These are the tournaments that the best players build themselves up for and get excited about," Bailey had said.

"It's the ultimate challenge for them to not only prove how good they are individually, but also to help their team get some really exciting success,” he added.

Squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

India

India have peaked at the right time before the start of the World Cup. Their Asia Cup title win has given them a significant boost and it seems like they have cracked the right combination ahead of the big tournament.

In the last decade or so, India haven’t been able to win major ICC tournaments since lifting the Champions Trophy title in 2013, though familiar conditions give them a golden chance to end that drought.

The likes of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah coming back from injuries has given them a major boost. At the top of the order, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill give their side firepower, whereas one of the best batsmen of this era Virat Kohli is slated at third spot.

India also have the luxury of having Hardik Pandya in their side, who can bat in all gears and can bowl over 140 clicks as a fourth seamer.

India’s bowling has been bolstered the comeback of Jasprit Bumrah, who can swing the ball both ways at over 140 km/h. The comeback of Kuldeep Yadav has also helped a lot, as he was the Player of the series during the recently concluded Asia Cup.

"We don't want to expose him a lot," Rohit had explained after the spinner played only one match in the home series against Australia.

It is unlikely that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli turn up at the next edition of the World Cup in 2027, which is why it will be a great farewell to the stalwarts of Indian cricket.

Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav

England

England are likely to approach the ODIs like they have done Tests and T20Is, going all ballistic mode.

Matthew Mott, who has won the World Cup during his stint with the Australia women’s side and oversaw England’s T20 World Cup win last year, will also be keen this time around to help his side lift another title.

In the recent series against New Zealand, Ben Stokes had smashed 182 off just 124 deliveries after coming out of retirement from one-day internationals.

Dawid Malan had also impressed opening the innings alongside Jonny Bairstow, as he recorded scores of 54, 96 and 127 which earned him Player of the series award.

"It’s satisfying from my point of view to be able to silence some people who always have some negative things to say, but my job is to score runs," Malan said.

England have plenty of batting depth as they had picked Harry Brook after he was left out of the initial World Cup squad.

Joe Root’s presence in the batting is also a boost for the World Champions as he is someone who can handle spin extremely well during the middle overs.

Despite having immense batting depth, it will be interesting to see how England’s fast bowling will fare on batting friendly wickets in India. The presence of a world-class leg-spinner in Adil Rashid is a huge boost for England, while Moeen Ali’s off-spin will come in handy as well.

Squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood