India’s absence from the opening match of the ICC World Cup 2023 has sparked questions and raised eyebrows. As the host nation, it was expected that Rohit Sharma’s team would have the honor of taking the field first in the championship, scheduled to begin on October 5 and conclude on November 19. However, when we look back at previous World Cups, there is no definitive pattern for selecting the teams for the opening matches of the tournament.
This time around, defending champions England and runners-up New Zealand will kick off the proceedings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Interestingly, this is the third time that England and New Zealand will play in the first match of the World Cup, following the 1983 and 1996 editions. While it is understandable that England, as the reigning champions, would feature in the opening match, one could argue that India should have been the other team.
It is worth noting that host nations have not always played the first match. For example, Pakistan, the winners of the 1992 World Cup, did not play the opening match in 1996. Similarly, Australia, the champions in 2015, also did not feature in the opening match.
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Fans will have to wait for three days before India clashes with Australia on Sunday, October 8, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Indian team faces a demanding schedule as they will be playing their nine matches at nine different venues across the country.
Significantly, most of India’s high-profile matches have been scheduled for Sundays. Matches against Pakistan, India, New Zealand, England, and South Africa are set to take place on Sundays in Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Kolkata, respectively.
Save the dates India fans 🤩
The tournament hosts @BCCI will kick off their #CWC23 journey with a high-voltage showdown against Australia!
Full fixtures 👉 https://t.co/XN8J6nq8To pic.twitter.com/SgoOYjAect
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 27, 2023
India’s only Saturday match will be against Qualifier 1 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Weekday matches for India include clashes with Afghanistan on Wednesday, October 11 in Delhi, Bangladesh on Thursday, October 19 in Pune, and Qualifier 2 on Thursday, November 2 in Mumbai.
Since their triumph in the 2011 World Cup, where they defeated Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India has been unable to secure another title. In both the 2015 and 2019 editions, they reached the semifinals but faltered in their chase against Australia and New Zealand, respectively.
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Whether India can rectify their past shortcomings and claim their third World Cup title remains to be seen. It is worth noting that India has not won any ICC trophy since their victory over England in the 2013 Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The upcoming World Cup presents an opportunity for the Indian team to end their trophy drought and etch their names in cricketing history once again.
