While India has been chosen to host or co-host four of the ten major white ball men's international events scheduled for the next decade, the World Cup in 2023 hosted solely by India feels like its best opportunity to lift silverware in an ICC event after more than a decade. India last won an ICC trophy in 2013 when the MS Dhoni led team beat England in the final of the Champions Trophy in a rain curtailed game. Since then, India have reached the final of the World T20 in 2014, the Champions trophy in 2017 and the WTC in 2021. India have also made semi-final appearances twice in World T20 in 2016 and 2022 and twice in the World Cup in 2015 and 2019.
While in the run up to the World Cup, India have a number of positives in the form of Shubman Gill's purple patch, Virat Kohli's recent return to form, Ravindra Jadeja's return to full fitness, Hardik Pandya's form and fitness, and Axar Patel's batting improvement, there are a few notable negatives that threaten to derail India's World Cup before it even begins. Rishabh Pant has been all but ruled out for the entire year due to the injuries he suffered in a horrific car accident on the eve of 2023. Jasprit Bumrah, who hasn’t played a competitive game since September 2022 is a major doubt for the World Cup as he recovers from a recent surgery that he had on a long troubling injury.
Shreyas Iyer, who missed the final few games of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy has been all but ruled out of the IPL 2023 season due to a recurring back problem. There is hope that he will fully fit for the World Cup, but he too is currently out with injury. Prasidh Krishna, who was being looked at as one of India’s white ball experts has been out of action for almost a year due to a stress fracture. Before injury, he had an impressive haul of 25 wickets from 14 ODIs at an economy rate of just over five an over.
{{/usCountry}}Shreyas Iyer, who missed the final few games of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy has been all but ruled out of the IPL 2023 season due to a recurring back problem. There is hope that he will fully fit for the World Cup, but he too is currently out with injury. Prasidh Krishna, who was being looked at as one of India’s white ball experts has been out of action for almost a year due to a stress fracture. Before injury, he had an impressive haul of 25 wickets from 14 ODIs at an economy rate of just over five an over.
{{/usCountry}}As injuries threaten to derail India's World Cup chances, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels that resting players for important series and chopping and changing the team will also hamper their World Cup chances. With some Indian players being frequently given rests for manage their workload better, Gavaskar believes the contrary and feels that one more World Cup defeat could end some Indian careers.
"In a World Cup year any match missed means preparation gets hampered as the balance of the team gets affected. Another failure to win a World Cup will have repercussions that could possibly end a few international careers and that should be a red flag for those talking burnout and missing games for India." Gavaskar recently wrote in his column for Mid-Day
The legendary Indian batter has been previously open in expressing his displeasure towards India's World Cup bound players being frequently rested.
"I honestly feel that the BCCI needs to look into this concept of rest. All the Grade A cricketers have received very good contracts. They receive payment for every match. Tell me if there is any company whose CEO, or MDs get so much time off? I feel that if Indian cricket is to become more professional, a line needs to be drawn. If you want to be rested, you need to reduce your guarantees. Then you take rest, because you don't want to play. But how can anyone say that I don't want to play for the Indian team. Which is why I do not agree to the concept," Gavaskar has previously stated.
With this likely to be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s last World Cup, India needs all its players fit and firing if they are to have any chance of lifting the trophy again in 2023.