Earlier this week, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule for the ODI World Cup 2023, slated to be held in India.
The quadrennial event will kick-off on October 5 with a repeat of the 2019 World Cup final as England take on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Hosts India will begin their campaign on October 8 against five-time World Cup champions Australia at Chepauk.
Meanwhile, the India-Australia fixture has drawn a telling reaction from batting legend Sunil Gavaskar.
According to Gavaskar, it is an advantage to India that they are starting their World Cup campaign against a tough opponent like Australia rather than facing such opposition in a must-win game later in the league stage.
"Absolutely. It would have been even more difficult if you were to play Australia in a must-win last match. I feel it is always an advantage to play against the good teams first," Gavaskar said while speaking to Star Sports.
"If you don't get a good result, you have chances later. If you probably play against some weak team later, you will know what you need to do against them and with what margin you need to win," he added.
The former India opener also revisited the team's triumphant 1983 World Cup campaign when they had started the tournament against defending champions West Indies.
"In 1983 we played the first match against the West Indies. They were the defending champions and we defeated them. It was a two-day game because it had rained and the play resumed on the next day. There also we registered a win. The self-confidence increased because of that as till then our performance in World Cups wasn't anything special. We hadn't won even one match until then," Gavaskar remarked.
After the tournament opener against Australia, the Rohit Sharma-led side will face Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 11. India’s third match in the mega event is a high-octane clash against Pakistan on October 15 in Ahmedabad.
The Men in Blue will go up against Bangladesh on October 19 in Pune, while they lock horns with New Zealand to try and avenge their 2019 semi-final defeat on October 22 at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
Team India will take on England in Lucknow on October 29. The home team’s last three matches include two against the sides that will enter the main event through the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup Qualifiers.
While India will face the second-placed team from the World Cup Qualifiers on November 2 in Mumbai, they will be up against South Africa in Kolkata on November 5.
India will play their last group stage match against the top-placed team from the World Cup Qualifiers on November 11 in Bengaluru.
