New Zealand kicked off the ICC World Cup 2023 with a statement win against defending champions England on October 5. New Zealand recorded a dominant nine-wicket win while chasing 283 runs against the Three Lions and entered the race for the ultimate glory.
India remain the leading contender to lift the famous trophy for the third time and have a home conditions advantage. India triumphed in the recent Asia Cup 2023 and also beat Australia in the three-match ODI series to become the no.1 ODI team in the ICC rankings last month. Indian team is looking all set to go all the way into the tournament and shows no weaknesses ahead of their opening game against Australia.
England suffered a worrying defeat against the Kiwis in their opening clash but they remain a strong contender with one of the best batting attacks in the tournament. Jos Buttler-led side will be looking not to panic after New Zealand defeat and make a strong comeback to remain in the race for the World Cup triumph.
Australia remain the strongest contender going into any ICC event and once again will bid for the glory under the leadership of Pat Cummins. Five-time World Cup winner lost the ODI series against India and South Africa last month and also slipped to third in the ICC ODI team's rankings. However, a win against India in their opening game will change the momentum for Australia and they have every reason to believe in the World Cup bid.
But what fans are thinking or predicting ahead of India's very crucial game against Australia? We ran a fan poll on both English and Hindi websites, and our official Twitter page to understand fans' opinions a day before the India-Australia clash. We gave fans four options to vote for - India, England, Australia, and Others, and 12,568 people voted on different platforms to provide a clear answer. Cricket fans showed a strong belief in Rohit Sharma's team India with 78% of votes. Nine percent of fans voted for champions England despite their heavy defeat against New Zealand in the World Cup opener. Australia remains favourites for the glory as 8% of votes go for Pat Cummins' side.
Apart from obvious contenders India, England and Australia, last edition's runner-up New Zealand and Temba Bavuma-led South Africa will fancy their chances for the maiden ODI World Cup title.
