On Sunday, India played the last group fixture of the 2023 World Cup against Netherlands at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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Batting first, all of India's top 5 batters scored in excess of 50, a first for the country in ODIs. Two of them, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, went on to score centuries to help India to 410/4, their highest score of the tournament.
In reply, the Dutch chase never got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals, and some lusty blows at the end from Teja Nidamanuru only got them as far as 250. The result meant India had won nine out of their nine league matches in the tournament.
Does ICC favour India at World Cups? Do India always play the last group games to stay ahead of NRR requirements?
After the match, Sri Lankan journalist Daniel Alexander took to X (formerly Twitter), accusing the ICC of favouring India in matters of scheduling during international tournaments.
India always play the last match before the semi-finals in multi-nation tournaments to ensure India knows the required NRR (if required). Also, the tournament formats and schedules organized to favour India. Unfair favoritism towards India. @ICC @ICCMediaComms💰#Cricket #CWC23
— Daniel Alexander (@daniel86cricket) November 12, 2023
While it is true that the BCCI wields a significant amount of power within the ICC, suggestions that scheduling is intentionally done in order to favour the Indian team are wide of the mark.
India played the last match of the group stage at this World Cup, but this has not happened in any World Cup post-2000, except in 2011. Between these two occasions, the last group stage match in 2015 was between Ireland and Pakistan, and in 2019 was South Africa vs Australia.
MORE: What is Virat Kohli's record in ICC knockout matches?
In the T20 World Cup, India actually played the last fixture of the preliminary stages in 2022, 2021 and 2016 but this is nothing more than a coincidence. The Men in Blue have played the final fixture in two of the last three Champions Trophy editions, but in a four-team group there was a 50-50 chance that that would happen.
As with all logistical issues, one cannot claim to know exactly what goes on behind closed doors at the ICC. But there is certainly not enough evidence to suggest that any one team is favoured or neglected when it comes to issues of scheduling.
Who will win the 2023 World Cup?
India and Australia are now among the favourites for the 2023 World Cup title. The odds were as follows ahead of this match, and you can click here to make your bet (selected regions).
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| India | 1.95 |
| Australia | 4.50 |
| South Africa | 5.50 |
| New Zealand | 7.50 |
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