Can hosts India make it a World Cup to remember?

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Since then, home advantage has worked well, Australia winning a fifth title in front of a majestic Melbourne crowd in 2015, and England ending years of incompetence, frankly, by finally winning the World Cup on that manic Lord’s evening four years ago.

So, can India continue the trend? First the positives. They have had a decent build-up that saw them winning the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and beating Australia in a bilateral series at home. The cloud hovering over some of the injured players has also cleared. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah have all shown they are good to go. Rahul cracked a century against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, while Iyer found his groove in the second ODI versus Australia. Bumrah has been consistently on the money, moving the new ball either way at will with his wondrous wrist and executing his repertoire of yorkers and slower balls to perfection in the latter overs.

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In terms of squad composition too, India seem to have eventually settled on the right mix. When the 15 members were initially announced, there was a bit of chatter about the presence of two left-arm orthodox bowlers – Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel – depriving the spin attack of some variety. Axar’s injury, though, has opened the door for ace off-spinner R Ashwin to come in and bring that balance alongside Jadeja and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

In Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India have senior pros with vast experience as well as a point to prove. Sharma, leading India in an ODI World Cup for the first time, has spoken ad nauseam about his disappointment at not being picked for the 2011 World Cup. This is his shot at redemption. If he can pull off something special over the next six weeks, he will be mentioned in the same breath as Kapil Dev and Dhoni. For Kohli, who was part of that evening 12 years ago that no Indian can forget, this is about reminding the world what he can do.

The drawbacks may be the dearth of left-handed batters in the middle order – unlike 2011 when Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina complemented Kohli and Dhoni – and the absence of a left-arm pacer. An even bigger barrier is India’s recent record in knockout games at ICC tournaments – with data suggesting that this is a team that may have forgotten how to win matches that matter, something that India under Dhoni had mastered. Since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013, India have stumbled in two finals and four semi-finals. It is likely to boil down to that again, and how India respond when there’s no room for slip-ups or second chances.

In the captains’ interaction in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, Ravi Shastri didn’t waste time in bringing up the p-word, the one bandied about liberally in sporting interactions, with Sharma. “Wearing the blue jersey, there is always pressure. You are playing at home. How are you approaching this?” Shastri’s booming voice thundered into the microphone.

“Firstly very grateful to be leading this team into the World Cup,” Sharma responded. “I’ve seen the history of the World Cup and the people who’ve taken part. I am quite lucky to be leading this team. It’s quite exciting. At the same time, yes, you mention pressure. All these guys are used to going through that pressure, whether it’s playing in India or away from India. Pressure is something that’s not going to leave a sportsman. As long as you play sport, pressure is always going to be there. Keep that aside, focus on the job at hand.”

As Sharma himself added, it’s easier said than done. “It’s going to be tough, but we’ve prepared really well. As long as you prepare well, it gives you confidence.”

If the expectations of a billion-plus aren’t enough, there’s also the fact that there’s a feeling in cricketing circles that the 50-over format’s future itself is closely tied to how India fare. If not for India winning the inaugural World T20 in 2007, the shortest format may not have taken off in the manner it did. Similarly, a striking triumph for India at home might just help ODI cricket survive, even thrive.

Not that Sharma or any of the other Indian players are likely to be thinking of that. There’s the small matter of a World Cup to be won.