The 12th edition of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial event, is here. The 2019 ICC World Cup will be held from May 30 to July 14 in England and Wales. Especially for India, England, Australia, and Pakistan, the international cricket tournament is an extremely popular sporting event.
India has already won the World Cup twice—first under Kapil Dev in 1983 and second under M S Dhoni in 2011. The second win came 28 years after the first. In April, India announced its 15-man line-up for the 2019 ICC World Cup.
The teams are currently playing warm-up games against each other. New Zealand beat India by five wickets in a warm-up match on Sunday, May 26.
News18 reports that Kedar Jadhav’s injury, sustained during the IPL, has not yet healed, limiting him to a restricted performance this World Cup.
India’s World Cup team
Along with New Zealand and Australia, India was one of the first countries to announce its team for the 2019 ICC World Cup. Captain Virat Kohli and Vice Captain Rohit Sharma are set to lead the team.
The Indian squad includes Shikhar Dhawan, K L Rahul, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohd Shami.
Dhoni will be the wicketkeeper. The team also has five batsmen, three fast bowlers, three all-rounders, and two spinners—Chahal and Yadav.
Kohli, Sharma, and Dhawan are the three star opening batsmen; the fourth position was contentious.
Editor-in-chief of Wisden India Dileep Premachandran said, “The No. 4 position has been constant, chopping change… Everyone hopes Kohli and Sharma click, but in case they don’t, does India have the backing to crawl out of that?”
After much suspense, Shankar was chosen as the fourth batsman. Notably, Rishabh Pant was not selected at all—a move that invited much criticism.
From commentators Michael Vaughan and Sanjay Manjrekar to former India captain Kris Srikkanth, many critics were taken aback by the selection committee’s decision.
Premachandran also spoke to Qrius about Pant being snubbed from the roster. “I’m surprised he wasn’t given more opportunities because he is a game changer… Not many have the explosive ability to win a game in five or six balls.”
Upcoming matches for India
On the schedule, India is expected to play nine matches. It will face off three strong teams in June itself.
India will play South Africa on June 5 at The Ages Bowl in Southampton. It will then go on to battle Australia at The Oval in London on June 9. On June 13, India and New Zealand will meet on the field at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
However, one of the most awaited matches of the World Cup is India versus Pakistan. The two cricketing rivals will face off on June 16 at Old Trafford, Manchester.
India versus England is also a popular match, especially for Indian immigrants living in the UK. It is scheduled for June 30 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
India will also play Afghanistan on June 22, West Indies on June 27, Bangladesh on July 2, and Sri Lanka on July 6.
Sports channel Star Sports 1 and streaming service Hotstar will be airing the World Cup matches. To view the matches in person, one must register on the ICC site and buy tickets.
Other than the semifinal and finals, all of India’s matches and the England-Australia showdown are the most expensive, with Bronze tickets priced at £70, for scheduled line-ups in this World Cup because of the strong South Asian migrant community in the UK.
Tickets for the India-South Africa, Bangladesh-India, India-England, England-Australia, and India-Australia matches are already sold out.
The India-Pakistan match is priced at £235 for Platinum, £150 for Gold, £115 for Silver, and £70 for Bronze.
Rhea Arora is a Staff Writer at Qrius
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