England enter the tournament as the reigning world champions as they seek to become the first nation since 2007 to retain their world title.
The first match consisted of a rematch of the 2019 final, with the holders taking on familiar opponents, New Zealand. It appeared England would be heading into the opener with the mental upper hand having defeated New Zealand 3-1 in a recent ODI series. New Zealand won the toss and opted to send England into bat first, England would set a mild total of 282 with Joe Root posting the team's highest individual score of 77 (86).
Even though the total was far from an impressive one, England achieved the unique feat of being the first team in ODI history to have all 11 players make double figures during a batting innings. With the target set, England started hot as Sam Curran grabbed the scalp of Will Young for a golden duck, leaving the Kiwis 10-1.
The match appeared to be setting up for a close affair, however, the sheer class of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra guided New Zealand to a storming victory. Although England was ill-disciplined with their bowling, the aggression shown by Conway and Ravindra to build a mammoth partnership of 273 was simply stunning. Both batters went on to post career-high totals, Conway with 152* (121), and Ravindra with 123 (96). This spectacular performance from the duo ensured New Zealand won the opener by 9 wickets.
The aggression shown by Conway and Ravindra to build a mammoth partnership of 273 was simply stunning.
With the first match completed, the cricketing world will be treated to 47 more enthralling encounters. There will be a total of 42 matches played in the group stage as each nation will play each other once. The top four from the group stage will proceed to a semi-final, the first of which will take place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, and the second at the electric Eden Gardens. The 19th of November is the selected date for the final, as the gargantuan Narendra Modi Stadium plays host to its first world final.
India goes into the tournament as red-hot favourites, ranking as the no.1 ODI team in the world, and in addition to their ranking, they will be playing in home conditions. In essence, they will best understand the sub-continent conditions and have their faithful support backing them throughout the tournament.