3 reasons why India will top the 2023 World Cup points table
Team India's winning juggernaut in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup continued following their win over England. The Men in Blue thrashed the defending champions by 100 runs in Lucknow on Sunday to mark their sixth consecutive win.
Both teams had contrasting fortunes coming into the game. England made early inroads with the ball but Rohit Sharma held one end to keep the hosts in the hunt. Suryakumar Yadav also chipped in with a fighting 49-run knock to guide the hosts to 229 runs.
In response, England were no match for the Indian bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah drew the first blow before Mohammed Shami stole the show with his four-wicket haul. Kuldeep Yadav also picked up two wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja bagged one as Jos Buttler and company were all out for 129 runs.
With the win, India extended their lead at the top of the standings with 12 points from six matches. South Africa sit second with 10 points, while New Zealand and Australia complete the top four.
With the tournament reaching its business end, Rohit's side will look to finish at the top of the table.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why India can finish at the top of the standings.
#1 India have relatively weaker opponents in the final three games
The Men in Blue will lock horns with Sri Lanka, South Africa, and the Netherlands in their final three games in the league phase.
It is expected that the hosts would easily beat Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, given that the two teams haven't peaked at this year's World Cup. This would mean India would have 16 points in their kitty.
Thus, the game against South Africa, who are placed second in the standings, becomes extremely important. Recent form suggests that India are well-placed to beat the Proteas and if that happens, India will end the league phase on top of the pile.
#2 Current form
The Men in Blue have been in red hot form in the ongoing ODI World Cup. Barring two poor starts with the bat against Australia and England, they have not put a foot wrong in the competition.
India defeated Australia by six wickets and followed it up with an eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in Delhi. They then thrashed Pakistan by seven wickets and backed it up with another seven-wicket win over Bangladesh. Rohit and company then defeated 2019 World Cup finalists New Zealand by four wickets.
In the first game of the World Cup where they defended a total, the hosts routed defending champions England by 100 runs to make it six wins out of as many games.
The 2011 World Cup winners have peaked at the right time and given their recent form, they are expected to finish at the top of the 2023 World Cup points table.
#3 Next-best SA have tougher opponents
Team India are followed by South Africa, who are placed second with 10 points from six games. Their only defeat came against the Netherlands when they failed to chase down 246 runs in a rain-marred encounter in Dharamsala.
Other than that, Temba Bavuma and company have looked solid, showing signs that they could break their barren run in multi-nation tournaments.
To finish ahead of India in the points table, the Proteas will have to win all their remaining three games and wish that the Men in Blue drop points. But South Africa will lock horns with New Zealand, India, and an energetic Afghanistan side in their final three matches.
The probability of winning all three games against tougher opponents looks a bit bleak for South Africa. Thus, it could be assumed that India would finish atop the points table.