Team India Is Crushing Opponents For Fun In CWC 2023

A win by a mammoth margin of 302 runs against former World Champions—this is outrageous, to say the least. Either Team India is playing cricket at a whole different level, or their opponents are not just good enough. I believe the first option will get a nod from cricket fans around the world.

As far as I could remember, only the West Indies during the first three World Cups between 1975 and 1983, followed by Australia between the 1999 and 2007 editions, came close to demolishing opponents with the utmost ease at the grandest stage of them all.

Team India has been doing just that to nearly all of their opponents in the current edition at home. They have been crushing opponents for fun without even breaking a sweat.

Sri Lanka not only lost the match, their spirit was demolished, their confidence was destroyed, and most importantly, their ego was crushed by a rampant Team India, riding high on confidence and looking like an unstoppable force at the moment.

Seven wins in seven matches—a one hundred percent win record—and now a semi-final berth is sealed for Rohit Sharma & Company in the ongoing ODI World Cup. Things only get better and better for the Blues. Touchwood: Kisi ki nazar naa lage.

The fans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai had all the reasons to celebrate. Other than the first mandatory powerplay, where Dilshan Madhushanka troubled the Indian batsmen upfront, Sri Lanka was never in the game.

Yes, the individual milestones weren't shattered, as fans were itching to see Virat Kohli score his 49th ODI hundred and equal Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar's record. That wasn't to be, but that's ok. It's only a matter of time before that glorious moment arrives in Indian cricket.

The Prince, Shubman Gill, who was due for a big one, finally joined the party with a solid knock of 92 runs, but for me, the game-changing innings came from Shreyas Iyer's bat, who smashed 86 runs and just took the Lankans out of the game.

Once Team India scored 357 runs, it was always going to be a mountain to climb for the Lankans, but the sad part was that they never arrived at the party. As much as one should praise Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Siraj for carrying out the demolition job, getting bundled out for just 55 runs shows the real picture of Sri Lankan cricket to the whole world.

With a messed up Cricket board back home, a lack of quality players, and a legacy that continues to diminish with every passing day, the 1996 World Cup Champions have some serious soul-searching to do in the coming days.

What Sri Lanka can take heart from is that they are not the only team to have suffered the same fate against Rohit and his men. Ask Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England—all of them have experienced the same fate.

Australia, under Ricky Ponting's leadership, holds the unique distinction of winning an ODI World Cup without dropping a match, way back in 2003. Well, if that could happen to the Aussies two decades ago, why not India in 2023?

Their next game is against South Africa, a team that, like the Blues, is playing fearless cricket. That one should be a mouth-watering contest at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

The business end of the tournament is about to begin, but the formula applied by the hosts to take down their opponents, be it while batting first or chasing later, should be good enough to send shivers down the spines of any team they face from here on.

Remember - the ODI World Cup trophy is just four steps away, Team India. The countdown begins now.

Also Read: CWC 2023: Virat Kohli, The 'Selfish' Cricketer Team India Needs To Recreate 2011 Magic

(The author is an expert in cricket and has worked as a sports writer for broadcast and multimedia platforms for nearly a decade)