The 2023 ODI World Cup is all set to start in India within two months. The first match will take place between England and New Zealand on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Team India will play their first game on October 8 against Australia in Chennai.
The top ten teams will play in the competition, and England will defend their title. For India, it is a great chance to end their ICC title drought, as they have yet to win an ICC tournament in the last decade. Despite playing multiple knockout games in ICC events, they haven’t won any titles.
India won the last ODI World Cup in 2011 under MS Dhoni at home. Many believe it is a good opportunity for the hosts to win the title. But it won’t be easy, as there are some areas in which the current Indian team is struggling.
On the other hand, teams like Australia and England are playing pretty well. However, former South African star AB de Villiers predicts three top teams that are favorites to win the title. He also picks the team that can win the title.
De Villiers said, “Definitely, India. I think they will go on to win it over there again. It’s going to be a fairy-tale World Cup. India, England, Australia – got to go with the big three. Then I want to go with South Africa, even though Pakistan have a really good chance as well.”
Notably, the 2011 World Cup win was the first instance when a host nation won the World Cup. Since then, Australia and England have also won it in 2015 and 2019, respectively. So can India continue this trend in the coming competition?
Furthermore, De Villiers also predicted that the final match will be played between England and India, which is scheduled to take place on November 19 in Ahmedabad. However, Team India is currently struggling with injuries to their players. It might be the last World Cup for some Indian players, including skipper Rohit Sharma, so they will look to end it well.
