In the pursuit of an ICC trophy — its final international success got here on the 2013 Champions Trophy — India units forth on an arduous pilgrimage the place it’s going to crisscross the nation through the ICC males’s 50-over World Cup in October-November.
The nationwide workforce will traverse 8400 kms over 35 days through the group part, venturing into 9 cities, with Hyderabad being the one host metropolis denied the privilege of witnessing an India sport. The workforce may even function in warm-up matches in two of the farthest corners of the nation — Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram — per week earlier than the match.
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Unlike their 9 counterparts, who play no less than two video games in the identical venue, India bears the burden of wanderlust as its itinerary just isn’t formed solely by the pursuit of sport but in addition by the intricate interaction of economic and different pursuits. “We have so many State associations, so it is only fair that the team plays at least one World Cup match in most of those venues. India being such a vast country, it is a must that we allot fixtures to as many centres as possible. In the past, the Indian team has played in all these venues, so it won’t be a problem for them in terms of acclimatisation or getting used to the conditions,” Roger Binny, the BCCI president and a member of India’s World Cup-winning workforce of 1983, stated.
Lucknow, Pune, and Dharamsala — newer additions to India’s cricketing circuit — have been most popular over conventional centres like Mohali and Nagpur to host World Cup matches.
The Rohit Sharma-led workforce will face a relentless schedule, compelled to journey nearly each third day through the match, with transient respites coming forward of its video games in opposition to England (six days) and the Netherlands (5 days).
In the labyrinth of World Cup fixtures, destiny smiles benevolently on Pakistan because it enjoys back-to-back video games in Chennai and Hyderabad whereas additionally taking part in twice in Bengaluru and Kolkata. New Zealand, too, finds a concord of continuity, with consecutive encounters in Chennai, Dharamsala, and Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Australia and England have their matches scattered throughout eight centres, second solely to India on this regard. The defending champion, England, is the opposite workforce not favoured with back-to-back matches in any single metropolis.
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During its successful marketing campaign at dwelling in 2011, India had consecutive group video games in opposition to England and Ireland in Bengaluru whereas taking part in 9 matches (together with the quarterfinal, semifinal, and ultimate) throughout eight venues over 43 days. However, hosts England and Australia had performed 9 and 6 group video games throughout the same variety of grounds in 2019 and 2015. Kapil Dev, who captained India to its first World Cup win in 1983, raises a cautionary notice. “I know it is a mind-boggling schedule, but who doesn’t want to watch the Indian team in action? It’s a good idea that the team and the support staff will travel on chartered flights. It can be taxing for the players, but they are all professionals and should be able to deal with the travelling. Without making comparisons, in 1983 we travelled right through the tournament on the same bus. Of course, the distances and duration were much shorter, but it was great fun. The team developed a special bond. I am sure our boys will enjoy the World Cup at home,” he stated.
In the face of such a tough timetable, the result of the early matches might properly maintain the facility to both elevate the spirit or render the trail wearisome for Rohit and his males. In this quest for the elusive ICC trophy, the journey might outline India’s probability at cricketing glory.
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
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