The ICC Cricket World Cup dominates the thinking of sports fans in the host nation, India, and across the globe. The action at the 2023 episode of this much-loved competition began early last month and continues as the festival of international cricket races towards the final. Followers have enjoyed some memorable games in the opening exchanges, and we’ve been treated to a fair share of shock results, too. What has been your favorite moment so far?

It may be India’s drive to the top of the league as they treat their millions of fans to a memorable spectacle. You may have watched on as England’s chances turned to dust following a run of disappointing results. Afghanistan is quickly becoming the dark horse of the pack, and neutrals have chosen to cheer on the underdogs as they scored unexpected wins, sending shockwaves across the sport. Yes, the 2023 World Cup has been a fascinating affair, but there’s more to come.

As we enter the later stages of the tournament, the best teams force themselves into a prominent position. The leading gambling apps offer betting on the outright winner of the World Cup, with the final on 19th November. Lovers of other professional sports join cricket fans for a grandstand finish. Whether you love gambling on football or searching for value in the best UFC betting websites, you’ll find something worthwhile in the cricket World Cup markets. 

Predicting the World Cup champion or the winner of today’s game live on television is a great way to spice up your viewing. Add an extra layer of excitement to the occasion by calling the winner, top batsman, top bowler, or one of the many specials available.

India leads by example

India is the World Cup host nation and two-time winner of this famous trophy. Will they make it a renowned hat trick of Cricket World Cup wins? It’s certainly possible, but there’s still plenty of hard work ahead as the team continues to pass challenges with flying colors. A stunning support backs them as fans pack the stadiums and make their voices heard. Thousands more line the streets to cheer every victory that moves the nation closer to World Cup glory.

Traders working at the leading sportsbooks, TV commentators, and pundits made their predictions on the outright winner before the start of play, and many sides with a home win. India was the pre-tournament favorites to make home advantage count and win the World Cup, and supporters are delighted the competition appears to be going to plan, at least at this stage of the play. They’re winning games in style, top the table, and improve with every outing. There’s plenty more to come from this team.

Team India laid down a marker when beating Australia in their World Cup bow. The home team beat a dangerous Aussie team by six wickets, catching their opponents cold and knocking them off their stride early. That was the perfect start, and India used the momentum gained from that game to better a plucky Afghanistan, down Pakistan in a grudge game, and destroy England by 100 runs. Each of those impressive wins was in November, and there were more in November.

Hosts demolish their main rivals

Despite their strong start and extended winning streak at the World Cup, all eyes were on India’s game against South Africa on Sunday, 5th November. It was a clash that paired two teams with a genuine chance of winning the trophy, with India fans and the world media eager to see how the locals would handle the pressure. They had blown away cricket’s big guns, England and Australia, but were they the real deal? Many pundits suggested the result of Sunday’s explosive encounter would show if the hosts had the staying power to go all the way.

They had hardly put a foot wrong all competition, but question marks remained over the team. Could they move from hopefuls to genuine World Cup contenders? South Africa entered the game in high spirits, having collected six wins from their first seven games. But that purple patch came to an end against India, who made a mockery of what was sold to armchair fans as a 50/50 contest by pundits. That analysis proved wide of the mark, with India demonstrating the gulf in class between them and the chasing pack.

The scoreboard at the end of the play read India 326-5 against South Africa’s 83 all out. It was close to an embarrassment for the beaten team, who entered with high hopes of stopping their opponent’s seemingly relentless march to the trophy. There were things the South Africa coaches know their team could’ve done better, but it would be harsh to focus on their shortcomings as India was punch-perfect in their performance, winning by an incredible 243 runs.

Beating such a talented team as South Africa on the World Cup stage is no mean feat, but doing it in such style and by a comfortable margin shows the capabilities of Team India. They’ll now feel they are the team to beat in this competition and know if they continue to play in such a devastating manner, the title is theirs to lose. No team will indeed welcome a meeting with India in the coming weeks.

What’s next?

The World Cup is now eight games old as we move towards the most important stages. India leads the way with eight wins on the board, while South Africa is best of the rest with six victories and two defeats following that destruction at the hands of the hosts. Third in line at the time of writing is Australia, who also boasts a 6-2 record before we drop to New Zealand, and the other strugglers, who are fading fast.

India’s next game is a semi-final on Wednesday, where they hope to make it through to Sunday’s final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Will the home team win the semi-finals and progress to finishing the job on Sunday with a third World Cup win?