Rohit Sharma’s India Face “Humongous” Expectations to End World Title Drought at Home
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India's cricket-crazy nation has “humongous” expectations for Rohit Sharma's India to end their world title drought by winning the World Cup at home. The last major title was the 2013 Champions Trophy, which came after Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifted the 2011 World Cup in Mumbai. The 50-over marquee tournament opens on October 5 and, with the last two editions won by the then hosts, India of 1.4 billion dreams again.
Veteran sports journalist Ayaz Memon said it is tough to predict a winner for the 10-team tournament predicting a “very interesting and close contest”, but that the hosts, fresh from winning the Asia Cup, remain one of the favourites. “Fan expectations are humongous,” said Memon. “We have had disappointments and heartbreaks because we lost the semi-finals both times -- 2015 and 2019. A strong sense of expectations from this team because the team looks very good on paper.”
India will begin their campaign against Australia on October 8 followed by a hotly-anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. A match involving India, which has superstars including Virat Kohli and Rohit, draws millions of fans and is a winner for the broadcasters and sponsors.
Rakesh Patel, founder of the popular fan group “Bharat Army”, said, “With this particular World Cup we think we have a fantastic chance because India playing at home are a tough side to beat. And we think it's our time to win a World Cup again.” Supporters, who travel vast distances across India to watch their stars live, expect nothing short of a title win for the number-one ranked team.
India's obsession with cricket began in 1983 when Kapil Dev's underdogs stunned the West Indies in the final at Lord's and suddenly the sport had many takers, including sponsors. Twenty-eight years later, Dhoni's winning six against Sri Lanka to win the crown at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium triggered a nationwide celebration in what turned out to be cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar's last World Cup.
Spinner Harbhajan Singh said the night of that win remains the most special moment of his life, and hopes for another Indian victory in this year's final on November 19 in Ahmedabad. “The night of the win was the best ever night of my life so far. It was a dream realised with the World Cup trophy in your hand,” Harbhajan said. “For the first time we saw Sachin Tendulkar dancing. I hope it gets repeated this time in Ahmedabad”.
But former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar said India will have to overcome the pressure from millions of fans to come up trumps, and said a dream final would be against Pakistan. “India will be playing in front of their crowd at home and the match will be broadcast around the world,” Akhtar said. “All this pressure will be on India not on us (Pakistan). If India comes out of this pressure to win the World Cup in India against Pakistan, then the galaxy is the limit for the Indian team.”
India's cricket team is looking strong on paper and the country is buzzing with excitement for the upcoming tournament. The pressure is immense for Rohit Sharma and his team to deliver a world title win on home soil, and fans are hopeful that this could be the year that India reclaims the trophy. With a strong batting line-up and home advantage, India is in a good position to make their dream of lifting the World Cup a reality.
