Predicting the strongest India XI for the 2023 ODI World Cup

Every team dreams of winning the biggest tournament in their sport, which is the World Cup. Speaking of the cricket world cup, there are two big events coming up in the next 18 months. The T20I World Cup will be held this year in Australia, while the next ODI World Cup will be played in India between October 2023 and November 26th, 2023. This will be the first time that India will host the entire event alone. So it means that India will go into the tournament as a firm favorite.

Interestingly, the country that hosted the event has won the last three ODI World Cups. It was India in 2011, hosted in India/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh. Then Australia won in 2015, hosted in Australia and New Zealand. And in 2019, it was won by England in England. So that means the hosts have a great opportunity this time as well. But for that, they need a strong team to compete against the other sides. So let's check the strongest XI for the Men in Blue for the upcoming ODI World Cup.

 Openers for India : KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma (C)

Without a doubt, Rohit Sharma is the finest opener in the game right now, and being the captain of the side, he will be a sure-shot pick. On the other hand, there will be a competition between KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, but because the ODI World Cup is still 15-16 months away, KL Rahul might get an edge.

Middle Order Batsmen : Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant (Wk)

Virat Kohli is one of the best batters that the game has seen. Irrespective of his form, he will be the first choice at No. 3 for the team because he is a big match player and his numbers are just incredible. Well, there are a few batters that can be considered for the No. 4 spot. But Suryakumar Yadav is among the top contenders for this spot. His stroke play and ability to play the shot to any part of the ground make him the right choice. Well, there are not many impactful wicket-keeper batters present in the world right now that can match the ability of Rishabh Pant. So he will be an automatic choice for No. 5.

All-rounders : Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja 

It is a blessing for India that the current side has two of the finest all-rounders of the current generation who are also in form. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will be the perfect fit in the playing XI for India and that will give the team the right balance. So at No. 6 and 7, it will be Hardik and Jadeja.

Bowlers : Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Shami

India has produced some of the finest fast bowlers in the last 4-5 years. But when it comes to the grand stage like the World Cup, you need your best bowlers. And Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are the best current all-format bowlers for India. Then, India got Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the best white-ball swing bowler for India. So this will be the pace trio. Then Yuzvendra Chahal will be an auto pick as the leading spinner in the team.