Rohit Sharma’s India Emerges as Favorites for the World Cup 2023

Asia Cup Victory Boosts India’s World Cup Prospects

The Asia Cup 2023 ended with an amazing performance from the Indian team. Mohammed Siraj, the Sri Lankan top-order, helped the ‘Men in Blue’ bundle Sri Lanka for just 50 runs. Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill ensured they reached the modest target of 51 runs without losing a single wicket. India won their eighth Asia Cup title with this brilliant display of cricketing skills.

India Gains Favored Status for World Cup 2023

In this article, let us analyze the Indian team and find out why they are now the favorites to win a World Cup title after 12 long years. This tournament win has provided a brilliant stage for India for the upcoming marquee event, the World Cup 2023. The clinical display India put in this tournament is bound to change the opinion of many critics. Those who were writing team India off for WC 2023 will now have to take a 180-degree turn and admit that they are one of the favorites for the tournament.

The Top-order has Gathered Momentum

The Indian top order most likely to take the field in World Cup 2023 will comprise Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul. With Sharma, Gill, and Kohli not being at their best and KL returning from injury, this top order looked unsettled and fragile before Asia Cup 2023. But Rohit and Gill gave some brilliant starts to the team in the tournament. They averaged 87.5 as a pair, a figure you can’t ignore.

A Compact Bowling Unit

A common saying in cricket is, ‘Batters will win you matches, while bowlers will win you tournaments’. And on that note, if we look at the Indian bowling attack’s performance in Asia Cup 2023, as an Indian fan, satisfaction is what we will get. Barring the Nepal match, the Indian attack looked potent and efficient. From pace to spin, all the departments clicked for the ‘Men in Blue’. Kuldeep Yadav bowled a couple of match-winning spells and has given the team management the hope that during the World Cup, India can take the edge over their opposition in the middle overs.

Performance Under Pressure

One of the biggest reasons for India’s failure to win a multi-national trophy recently is their failure to hold their nerves in big matches or while under pressure. But in Asia Cup, we have seen that the team has excelled under pressure. Be it the Pakistan or Sri Lanka match in the Super Four stage, we saw that the Indian team held their nerves and bailed themselves out of crunch situations. Even in the game against Bangladesh, despite the absence of five key players, the team kept their composure and went as close to the target as possible.

Rohit Sharma Enjoying Leading a Well-settled Unit

Rohit Sharma looked like an assured and confident captain in the Asia Cup. It seems that the return of key players has given confidence to the Indian skipper. The same Rohit Sharma, seemingly unconfident and unsure of how to use his players a couple of months ago, looked much more confident and proactive as a leader in the tournament.

Middle-order’s Ability to Soak Pressure

The Indian middle-order got little exposure throughout the Asia Cup. Barring the first match against Pakistan, the Indian top-order handled most of the heavy scoring duties. Even though this match was abandoned due to rain, it showed the character of the Indian middle-order. The fact that India did not crumble even after losing four wickets quickly, shows that this middle-order can change any match’s complexion on any given day. This will be a big positive for India entering the World Cup 2023.