ICC World Cup is all about ODI cricket and is there to stay for now

Right after India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets in Ahmedabad, it appeared as if the ICC World Cup 2023 fever finally gripped the country. A burst of fire-crackers became a part of the package for celebrations and some golden words were finally spoken, "Chalo, World Cup starts with a bang".

Why wasn't the World Cup happening before? Wasn't defending champions England losing to New Zealand in a fantastic game of cricket a World Cup match? Wasn't India beating a beast of a team like Australia in Chennai a World Cup game?

Is it only when India beat Pakistan, the ICC World Cup 2023 begins? Going by the logic that the India-Pakistan match is the marquee match of the league phase and there can't be anything bigger and better than that encounter.

But looking at the quality of cricket being played, teams like New Zealand and South Africa are displaying great skill-sets as well and those matches perfectly suit the palate of true cricket fans. In terms of competition, it is sad but true that most of the World Cup games have been one-sided, but that doesn't mean that the World Cup hasn't arrived till the India-Pakistan match.

Before India played Pakistan, the Men in Blue also played Afghanistan in Delhi and that also created a lot of buzz. Thanks to captain Rohit Sharma's superlative shot selection, it was reduced to a one-sided game. But it was a World Cup match as well and believe it or not, every World Cup match is big. It doesn't really matter if the opposition isn't as hyped as Pakistan.

Of course, the intensity of the World Cup increases when there is an even contest between bat and ball. On Sunday, Afghanistan pulled off a coup against Engand to record the first major upset of the tournament and followers of the game are eagerly looking forward to a few more in the coming weeks.

If these World Cup matches get competitive, they will attract more and more fans. As it is, the interest level is huge and judging the interest quotient through social media buzz isn't exactly the right way to judge things. With a short attention span of spectators and ODI cricket being an extended battle of nerves, fans may not be following the non-India matches ball-by-ball but the participation level is good enough.

If it is a World Cup, it is got to be a 50-over affair whether you like it or not. This is after all the most challenging format and if you ask Virat Kohli, he will tell you more. T20 has its appeal while Test cricket is sublime but the ODI format is a combination of all the elements of this game. MS Dhoni is over 40 years old and still playing T20 cricket in IPL, but if you tell him to play an ODI match, he will probably get into hiding perhaps, who knows?

So, if non-India World Cup matches aren't appealing to some of the fans, so be it, but the character of this World Cup won't change, especially, when a low-ranked team like Afghanistan would challenge a team like England and make them bite the dust.

Who cares on Sunday to take all the effort to reach Delhi's own Ferozeshah Kotla to watch the Afghan Vs England game. But the moment the Afghans showed some character with the bat, the phone started ringing: "Can you arrange a few passes for my family in the evening?" a cricket enthusiast called to enquire. And this is the power of the 50-over World Cup - as a player you not only can comeback but also as a fan, you can walk in anytime!