How have India fared since 2019 World Cup?
The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will be underway on October 5, with defending champions England taking on New Zealand in Ahmedabad. India, led by Rohit Sharma, will lock horns with Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on October 8. The Men in Blue have played 63 ODIs since the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup. Here are the key stats.
Why does this story matter?
The year 2023 is dedicated to One Day Internationals, with the World Cup days away. However, the cricket calendar comprised mainly T20 Internationals in the last two years as there were two T20 World Cup editions. Moreover, a lot of second-string sides featured in order to manage the workload of players. Even India took the same route during this period.
India won 38 matches
As mentioned, India played as many as 63 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. They won 38 and lost 21 of these matches. As many as four matches were abandoned. Notably, India defeated West Indies in the most number of ODIs in this period. Interestingly, India won 18 matches each at home and overseas in this regard.
India lost five ODIs to Australia
India are set to face Australia in a three-match ODI series before the 2023 World Cup. Since the 2019 tournament, India have lost five and won just four ODIs against the Aussies. India lost two bilateral series to the Men in Yellow in this period. Their last bilateral ODI series win against Australia came in 2020 (2-1).
India won 25 matches in Asia
India have won 25 out of 36 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. One match was abandoned. India won four of these matches in the recently concluded Asia Cup. India won their eighth Asia Cup title.
Kohli, Gill have been among runs
Although Virat Kohli endured a rough patch until the 2022 Asia Cup, he has been India's leading run-scorer since the 2019 World Cup. He scored 1,741 runs from 44 ODIs at an average of 47.05 in this period. The tally includes six tons. Shubman Gill, who rose to prominence in the last two years, follows Kohli, with 1,723 runs at 68.92 (five tons).
Kuldeep, Shardul have been India's wicket-takers
Like Kohli, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was down and out following the 2019 IPL season. His impasse was extended to all three formats. However, he bounced back in style. Kuldeep, now India's frontline spinner in white-ball cricket, has taken the joint-most wickets for India since the 2019 WC (57 at 28.38). He shares the spot with Shardul Thakur, a prolific wicket-taker in ODIs.
Outstanding numbers for Mohammed Siraj
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj deserves a shoutout for his brilliant numbers. Siraj, who had forgettable outings in white-ball cricket at the start of his career, took five wickets on his Test debut (December 2020). His ODI career boomed thereafter. Siraj has taken 53 wickets from 28 ODIs at 17.67 since the 2019 WC. This includes a record 6/21 in the 2023 Asia Cup final.
