• Source:JND
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The Indian team has aimed for an attempt to end the long and frustrating wait for an ICC trophy as Rohit Sharma and Co. look well set to accomplish the remarkable achievement.

The Men in Blue have been on a winning run in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, having won three out of the first three matches so far.

Being the hosts, the Indian team are considered as hot favorites to lift the title but the past results also create stress with their disappointing run of bowing out in the knockouts over the years.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting also agrees that the Rohit Sharma-led side is one of the strongest contenders. However, he believes that it will all come down to how they handle pressure in tough situations on a given day.

 

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"I said from the start that I think they're going to be the team to beat. They've got a very talented team. They've got all bases covered with their fast bowling, their spin, and their top-order, middle-order batting. They're going to be extremely hard to beat. But we'll see how they hold up under extreme pressure as well,” the Aussie great said.

The Men in Blue have had disappointing outings in the ICC tournament since the last decade, having won their last trophy in 2013 (ICC Champions Trophy in England).

While India have been part of two finals in ICC tournaments after 2013 (2014 T20WC final, 2017 Champions Trophy final), they haven't played any summit clash in the ODI World Cups, bowing out in the semis in 2015 and 2019.

The Indian team, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, remained unbeaten throughout the ODI World Cup 2015 before they were outplayed in the semis by the hosts Australia.

In 2019, the Men in Blue were once again clinical under Virat Kohli's captaincy. They suffered just one defeat that came against England before they made it to another semifinal.

In a very disappointing result for fans, India were once again had a dream broken with New Zealand picking up a thumping win.

The Indian team is playing the ODI World Cup for the first time under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma but he has already captained the side in T20 World Cup 2022 where they were defeated by England in the semifinals.

With the team being in sublime form in all three departments, the whole squad along with more than a billion people hope to relive the legendary moment after lifting their third title in the history of the tournament.

India won their first ODI World Cup in 1983 under the leadership of legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev followed by the repetition of the triumph after 28 years under MS Dhoni's captaincy.

 

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The Men in Blue had won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and the Champions Trophy in 2013, which was their last ICC trophy win before the disappointing run in the marquee tournaments started to frustrate the whole nation.

Notably, the hosts kicked off the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 with a win over five-time champions Australia. They followed it with victories against Afghanistan and arch-rivals Pakistan to grab the top spot in the points table with three wins and six points under the belt.