My favorite time of the year, i.e. cricket world cup season, is here The ICC Cricket World Cup is the most anticipated tournament of the year for all cricket fanatics. Officially known as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, the event is organized by the sport’s governing body, the International Cricket Council every four years with preliminary qualification rounds that lead up to a finals tournament. Seeing as the 2023 tournament is being held in India — my home country — my excitement is heightened for the only sports tournament I religiously follow. 

One day internationals, known as ODIs, are a pacier format which started in 1971 but gained in popularity during the 1980s. These are single-inning matches of 50 overs per side. The tournament kicked off this past Thursday with England against New Zealand. Teams progressed to the tournament via the 2023 Cricket World Cup qualification process, with the West Indies missing out for the first time in their history of International Cricket. 

The qualification process entailed a series of cricket competitions that determined which countries took part in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. In total, 32 countries took part in the qualification process, from which 10 teams qualified for the World Cup. The 32 teams were divided into three leagues – Super League that consisted of 13 teams, League 2 which consisted of 7 teams and Challenge League which consisted of 12 teams. Based on the results of the leagues, teams either directly qualify, are directly eliminated, or advance to other supplementary qualifying tournaments through which they could qualify for the World Cup. 

Growing up, I never followed sports except cricket. I eagerly awaited the big games, for which I would enthusiastically paint my face with the colors of the tricolor and wear my best blue attire to match the players while cheering in front of the TV. Be it the World Cup or the Indian Premier League, my enthusiasm to cheer for my team never backed down. 

I vividly remember watching the 2011 World Cup Final Match between India and Sri Lanka. The match was played in Mumbai, and I watched it from the comfort of my home in Delhi, but as soon as the final run was scored, song and dance erupted throughout the streets of the nation. Late into the night, you could hear the dhol on the streets as a state of immense joy had overtaken the country. I was just seven years old, but the memory of India winning a World Cup final on home ground and the entire country celebrating will forever be etched in my mind. 

As someone who grew up in Delhi and has never missed a single game of cricket, this game defines what I understand to be sports and all that sports culture encompasses. My favorite cricket rivalry is between India and Pakistan, which I believe to be the strongest sports rivalry in the world due to multiple decades of political angst and tension between the countries.

Currently, India and Pakistan are scheduled to play each other on Oct. 14, and the environment surrounding that singular game is tense. The game will be held in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which boasts the largest capacity in India. The Indian travel industry has been experiencing an unprecedented surge fuelled by the insatiable passion of fans to watch the matches live. Ahmedabad experienced a 4000% surge in tourism, with practically every accommodation being fully booked out the week of the much awaited match.

Being on the other side of the world rather than at home in Delhi during the World Cup season will continue to break my heart. Incidentally, World Cup season overlaps with the festive season — my two favorite occasions to occur in India.

Cricket has long been the binding factor of India — the one unfailing factor that will always succeed in bringing people together to witness the joys and magic of the game. It is the game over which my brother and I bond as well as the topic of conversation between any two strangers. 

No matter what, cricket will always bring people together. When two cricket-crazy nations clash, it results in a unique aura both inside and outside the stadium. It is never, ever just a cricket match.