Key events
The weather forecast
It’s okay. Overcast, but okay. Whoever wins the toss will have a tricky decision. Actually, that’s nonsense – both captains have a tricky decision because they have to work on the assumption they’ll win it, otherwise they’d be winging it, and that’s no way to achieve success in modern society. I suspect whoever wins it will bowl first, but with the nagging feeling that chasing 140 could be slippery.
Preamble
Good day one and all. We can all surely agree that, in the last decade or so, the world has taken a very weird turn. In centuries to come, if there are centuries to come, when historians reflect on the years 2014-23, the thing that will cause the most head-scratching is painfully obvious: that India didn’t win a major ICC competition in that time. When you consider their power and their population, their brilliance and their Bumrah, it’s almost unfathomable that the 2013 Champions Trophy was their last major honour.
India’s latest attempt to rule world cricket on the field begins with a match against Ireland in New York. The pitch for the first game here, between Sri Lanka and South Africa, was unusual and awkward, so it would be unwise to make too many predictions. Except maybe a Virat Kohli fifty; that’s usually a safe bet. At the age of 35 he has found another level as a T20 batter, which is a chilling thought for everyone else.
As well as Kohli, India have Rohit Sharma, four brilliant spinners, the advantage of knowing where they will play their semi-final (Guyana, often spin-friendly). They have Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, the world’s No1 T20 batter in Suryakumar Yadav, a fit-again Rishabh Pant, and yes I really could go on.
In short, India have all the tools to win the competition. But having the tools has never been the problem.
Play starts at 3.30pm BST, 10.30am in New York