When India take on Australia in their opening match of the tournament today, the organisers will be hoping this is indeed the day in which the World Cup comes alive.
The World Cup has come to India after 12 years and around the traps, people have commented that the buzz is simply not the same as 2011. Then, by the time the first ball was bowled, the hype was at full volume. There’s a much quieter atmosphere around this tournament, although that is set to change.
Beginning the World Cup with a non-India match midweek was probably not the smartest way to start the tournament. In the four matches that were played before India’s first game, attendances were disappointing. This is a bit befuddling because most people who want tickets aren’t able to get them, the official booking website shows several stands as sold out and yet there are hardly any spectators at the matches.
The real test of how big the World Cup is will come on Sunday. For this generation of Indian cricketers, the 50-over World Cup is still the big prize, but they may be the last batch of players to think so. The advent and advance of T20 cricket and its franchise leagues means that One-Day Internationals as a format is teetering on the brink of extinction. But, for Rohit Sharma, there was no ambiguity.
“You heard the great man say that so many times that you know until he wins the World Cup, he’s got a bit of unfinished business. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about.” He was likely talking about Sachin Tendulkar, but could just as well have been referring to Lionel Messi, another player to claim the big prize towards the back end of his career.
For Rohit, who was dropped from the team in the 2011 World Cup, this is both a redemption song and a chance to further strengthen his position and standing in the game. “It’s a huge honour to be part of this World Cup team, firstly, and then being the captain.
“50-over World Cup is the biggest sporting event in cricketing history. So, for me, this is the biggest event that I will be part of. And being the captain as well, it’s a huge honour,” said Rohit. “…it was always a dream to be part of the World Cup team. And then to be part of the team and then the captain, I don’t know how to describe that because it’s a big deal for me.”
When the players feel so strongly, it is only a matter of time before their legions of fans wake up and make the tournament their own.
For India two question marks remained ahead of their first match. Shubman Gill, who is down with dengue, is recovering well and has not yet been ruled out. Rohit conceded that the priority was for his player to regain health and that getting him into the eleven was secondary, from a human point of view. The second question was over whether R Ashwin, the home boy, would play, making it three spinners in the mix.
Rahul Dravid had a long, hard look at the playing surface, but in India it is unwise to read too much into a surface 24 hours before a game. Things can change very quickly. Rohit admitted that the team had the luxury of playing three spinners should it be deemed necessary. The presence of Hardik Pandya means that they have three quick options, even when playing only two of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Mohammad Shami.
The only hurdle to the World Cup getting a screamer of a day, one that it is crying out for, is the weather. While you associate Chennai with heat and humidity rather than rain, there have been scattered showers in the lead up to the match. On the day, though, the forecast is clear. The players will feel the heat, but it’s something they’ll take if they can get uninterrupted play and a potential 100 overs.
For Australia, the only real point of concern was Marcus Stoinis, who picked up a hamstring injury in the second match of the series against India. He missed the warm-up matches but has since been back at work in the nets bowling and batting. A final call on whether he would need a bit more time before being eased back into the eleven would be taken on match afternoon.
As the ICC puts it: It takes one day. That day of reckoning is upon us.
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