India skipper Rohit Sharma is expecting the upcoming ODI World Cup in the country to be a highly-competitive affair since "the game has become faster".
The Hitman knows a thing or many about white ball cricket, having played nearly 250 ODI matches. And he expects the ODI World Cup starting October 5 in India to be a closely fought competition. Even more so as the 50-over game has become much faster due to the prevalence of T20 cricket.
"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 said 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.
There was a time when Test cricket changed due to the high number of One-day Internationals being played. Now ODIs have been impacted. This is what happens when a game grows.
India, chasing their third World Cup title, will kick-off their campaign against five-time champions Australia in Chennai on October 8.
THE CLASSIC CONFRONTATION, INDIA VS PAKISTAN
The big talking point before every tournament is when and where India will play Pakistan. At the World Cup, it will be on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The two neighbours only play against each other at ICC and ACC tournaments, since bilateral cricket ties are frozen due to diplomatic tension. The most recent clash between the two teams was during the T20 World Cup in Australia last year. India and Pakistan have played each other on seven occasions in the ODI World Cup – in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015 and 2019. India won all seven games.
India's other engagements include matches against New Zealand and England on October 22 and 29 in Dharamsala and Lucknow, respectively.
FORMAT
The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time 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 inputs from agencies)