How can India’s strategies win the ODI World Cup?

The ODI World Cup considered the most esteemed tournament organized by the ICC, will finally be held in India after a 12-year wait. The 2011 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup holds a significant place in the history of Indian cricket, as it witnessed the victory of MS Dhoni and his team, an unforgettable moment etched in the memories of Indian cricket enthusiasts. Since then, the ascent of Indian cricket has been unwavering, guided by the leadership of MS Dhoni, followed by Virat Kohli, and now it is Rohit Sharma who bears the responsibility of leading Indian cricket toward their coveted third world cup triumph.

The BCCI and the selection have not announced the squad yet but they are in the process to strategize the selection of the players for the upcoming tournament. The selection committee will foresee the performance of the players in the IPL, Asia Cup, and other bilateral series to make sure that the men in blue have the best players for the ODI World Cup. 

However, there are a few parameters that will be taken into consideration before making a decision on the final 11 players. Since the tournament is at home, the teams have a good chance to know the playing conditions and make the decision accordingly.

We have listed down some strategies on which the Indian team and the selection committee can work and bring the squad closer to the trophy.

1) Spin Attack crucial for ODI World Cup

One of the biggest advantages for Team India in the upcoming ODI World Cup is that it is at home and the majority of the Indian pitches support the spinners. India has primarily three spinners i.e. Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Axar Patel. The trio should be used as per the requirement. Ravindra Jadeja is in good form and since his return from the injury, he has performed exceptionally well. Jadeja can be partnered easily with Axar Patel or R Ashwin and this can become a deadly combination for the whole tournament. Yuzvendra Chahal has performed well in IPL and he should be given some appearances as he is known to pick wickets on the Indian pitches.

2) Not Using IPL as the criteria for selection

Indian Premier League is known for making careers of some youngsters every year. Since the debut of the league, BCCI and the selection committee have always taken IPL performance as one of the major criteria to select the players for the senior team for the next season in the limited-over format. However, for the upcoming ODI world cup, the selection committee should not take IPL performance as one of the major selection criteria. Every year we witness some players who perform exceptionally well throughout the season but fail brutally in the IPL. ODI is a 50-over format and performing in the T20 format shouldn’t be the criteria to make it to the ODI World Cup. A player’s stats from the past two years should be taken into consideration combined with his past IPL performances is the right way to go ahead.

3) Asia Cup and Bilateral Series

Team India and skipper Rohit Sharma should use all the bilateral series and the upcoming Asia Cup as the practice ground for the ODI world cup. This will help Rohit Sharma to strategise and plan his best action plan for the prestigious tournament scheduled to take place in October-November. The good news is that even this year’s Asia Cup will be a 50-over format and it will definitely help the team to understand their weakness and void and prepare well in advance for the ODI World Cup.