ODI World Cup 2023 is going to be very competitive: India skipper Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma (Pic: AFP)

Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma is expecting the upcoming ODI World Cup in India to be a highly-competitive affair since "the game has become faster".

All formats of the games, including the traditional five-day games, have been impacted by the emergence of Twenty-20 cricket. The batters are not averse to going for their strokes from the word go.

India, aiming for their third World Cup title and the second at home, will begin their campaign against five-time champions Australia in Chennai on October 8.

India are scheduled to play all their nine league matches at different venues including, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Lucknow and Bengaluru.

"This World Cup is going to be very competitive as the game has become faster and teams are playing more positively than ever before," Rohit was quoted as saying in an ICC release.

"All this augurs well for fans worldwide, promising them many thrilling moments. We look forward to preparing well and being at our best this October-November," he added.

After their duel with Australia, the hosts will move to Delhi for a clash against Afghanistan on October 11.

India vs Pakistan

India's much-anticipated clash with arch-rival Pakistan is scheduled for October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The two Asian neighbours now play against each other only at the ICC and ACC events as bilateral cricket ties are frozen due to diplomatic tension. The most recent match between the two nations was during the T20 World Cup in Australia, last year.

India and Pakistan have faced each other seven times in ODI World Cup - in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015 and 2019. The only time they didn't clash in a 50-over World Cup was in 2007 when both the teams crashed out of the tournament in the opening round itself.

India's other big-ticket fixtures include matches against New Zealand and England on October 22 and 29 in Dharamsala and Lucknow respectively.

Also Read: ODI World Cup 2023: ICC rejects Pakistan's venue change request for two matches

Format

The tournament retains the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.

There are six day matches in the tournament, which will start at 10:30am IST.

All other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 2pm IST.

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals to be played in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semifinals and the final will have reserve days.

If India qualify for the semifinals, they will play their last-four stage game in Mumbai.

India's Schedule

India vs Australia, Oct 8, Chennai
India vs Afghanistan, Oct 11, Delhi
India vs Pakistan, Oct 15, Ahmedabad
India vs Bangladesh, Oct 19, Pune
India vs New Zealand, Oct 22, Dharamsala
India vs England, Oct 29, Lucknow
India vs Qualifier 2, Nov 2, Mumbai
India vs South Africa, Nov 5, Kolkata
India vs Qualifier 1, Nov 11, Bengaluru.

(With PTI inputs)

Also Read: ODI World Cup 2023 Schedule: Dates and venues announced; Ahmedabad to host final