The ICC World Cup remains the last word on cricket’s hierarchy ( a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority). There are multiple rankings linked to the game’s formats ranging from five-day Tests to abridged ( shorten (a piece of writing) without losing the sense) Twenty20s, but when it comes to bragging ( excessively proud and boastful talk about one’s achievements or possessions) rights about what constitutes the best squad, it is essential to have won the World Cup. Debates vanish and the champion unit is allowed its swagger ( walk or behave in a very confident and arrogant or self-important way). As the quadrennial ( recurring every four year) event returns to England, with Thursday’s opening game pitting the hosts against South Africa at the Oval, it is an opportunity for captains and their teams to reshape their legacies ( an amount of money or property left to someone in a will).

Interestingly, the inaugural ( marking the beginning of an institution, activity, or period of office) fixture ( a piece of equipment or furniture which is fixed in position in a building or vehicle) features two under-achievers in cricket’s showpiece event. England and South Africa have often flattered to deceive. The former failed to get past stronger opposition in some summit clashes while the latter repeatedly remained a bundle of nerves and choked ( fill (a space) so as to make movement difficult or impossible) at climactic stages. Both now get another shot at correcting these anomalies ( something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected), and the first step among many more to follow will be made on Thursday.

A history of under-performance is not among Australia’s worries as it has five World Cup titles in its kitty ( a fund of money for communal use, made up of contributions from a group of people). But it needs to wrest ( take (something, especially power or control) after considerable effort or difficulty) back its reputation as a standard-bearer. Last year’s ball-tampering crisis drove a knife into a proud sporting nation’s heart; two of the perpetrators ( a person who carries out a harmful, illegal, or immoral act), Steve Smith and David Warner, are back in the squad, keen ( having or showing eagerness or enthusiasm) to recover their lost space and respect. Redemption ( the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt) is not just a yearning ( a feeling of intense longing for something), it is a burning need.

India, cricket’s commercial heart, steps in under a captain who is as combative ( ready or eager to fight or argue) as ever. Virat Kohli was a rookie ( a member of a sports team in their first full season) when M.S. Dhoni’s men triumphed ( achieve a victory; be successful)  in the 2011 World Cup final at Mumbai; now he leads the squad and remains batsman-supreme. An experienced batting component, a clutch of all-rounders and a fine pace-bowling unit helmed ( manage ) by Jasprit Bumrah are at India’s core, and it would be an upset if this squad doesn’t prevail ( prove more powerful or superior) in the round-robin league and qualify for the semifinals. But this is anyone’s game as Kapil Dev and his men showed at Lord’s in 1983 while stunning the West Indies in a gripping ( have a strong or adverse effect on)  World Cup final.

That ‘David quelling Goliath’ tale found many repetitions ( the action of repeating something that has already been said or written) in subsequent World Cups, and any outfit from among Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can be the world-beater on its day. There is Afghanistan too as cricket’s latest illustration of its power to be about more than the competition itself. It is thus disappointing that driven by commercial considerations, the ICC chose to limit the 2019 tournament to just 10 teams. In the end, World Cups are won by captains who believe nothing is impossible and lead from the front. India will hope that it will be Kohli when the final concludes on July 14.