"India have batted first and posted a score" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Rohit Sharma and Co.'s chances of winning the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil

Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels Team India have the ability to win the 2023 ODI World Cup given their spectacular record on home soil. India will host the mega 50-over event later this year.

The Men in Blue won the 2011 ODI World Cup at home under the leadership of MS Dhoni, beating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Ashwin believes Rohit Sharma and Co. have an outstanding chance of winning the ICC event, given their excellent record in home ODIs. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, the off-spinner said:

"India’s home record is 14-4 in this space [since 2019 World Cup], which is a 78 to 80 percent win record in India. All of these 18 ODIs have happened in different venues every single time (14 venues).

"The four losses that I mentioned have happened in Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Lucknow. It’s all evening in the evening. Largely, India have batted first and posted a score that they believe is par and par-plus."

India got off to a decent start in the 50-over format this year, beating Sri Lanka 3-0 in a three-match series. They also defeated New Zealand in the first ODI by 12 runs in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18.

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"New Zealand series will give us a fair indication" - Ravichandran Ashwin on India's team combination

Ashwin further added that the three-match ODI series against New Zealand will give a fair idea of where the team stands ahead of the mega event.

"India’s ODI home record ever since the 2019 World Cup finished is extremely impressive," Ashwin continued. "India has won against every team that’s traveled to India in this space, which are West Indies, Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka.

"New Zealand series will give us a fair indication as to where the Indian team stands because Sri Lanka, a lot of people believe, were not the favorite," he added. "However, India, I believe, are favorite heading into this particular World Cup. India’s quality is just phenomenal in this format and Virat’s return to form is no doubt an extremely important feature."

The second ODI between India and New Zealand will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Saturday, January 21.

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