ICC ODI World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli breaks Sachin Tendulkar's record, Glenn Maxwell smashes fastest hundred and other takeaways

The ODI World Cup saw some sensational performances from Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell while Babar Azam's bat did not do as much talking as Pakistan would have liked.

And pause.

For over 45 days across 10 different Indian venues, fans were entertained by some of the biggest names in the game at the 2023 ODI World Cup which culminated with a sixth ODI World Cup crown for Australia and a heartbreak for a billion Indian fans as they saw the Men in Blue fall at the final hurdle.

Here are the takeaways from the tournament:

Australia turn up on the big day again

They might play inconsistent cricket all through the year. They might have injuries. They might have administrative issues, but one thing is assured with Australia: they turn up regularly at an ODI World Cup and put up a fight.

It was no different in 2023 as the leadership of Pat Cummins and the inspiring return of Travis Head from injury paved the way for a sixth title for the men from Down Under and further ascended their reputation as the team that rises up to an occasion, almost always.

India's bowlers run hot for six weeks

Across all ODI World Cups held since the start of the 21st century, the talk surrounding India had always been about their batting might. But in a few years time, when the 2023 ODI World Cup comes up for discussion you ought to believe that India's bowling performance in the tournament will be raved about more than their batting performance.

The pacemen, particularly Mohammed Shami, breathed fire right through the tournament and ensured no batting line-up came close to either a competitive total and chasing down India's score.

Under pressure in the final on Sunday with only 241 runs in the bank, Shami and Jasprit Bumrah reduced Australia to 60-3 in 10 overs and ensured India got off to the best possible start in their defence.

The end result was a tough pill to swallow for Indian players and fans, but the bowling in the six-week phase will be remembered for years to come.

England fail to live up to expectations

England experienced how difficult it can be to defend an ODI World Cup crown away from home in conditions that don't necessarily suit them.

But beyond the pitch conditions, England found out that they needed look past some of their current crop of players who might have seen their best days and bring in newer players who are hungrier and can help them win big tournaments in future.

They can take hope from a team like India who had a poor outing in the 2007 ODI World Cup, where they bowed out in the first round but went on to win with a stable core in 2011.

Rohit, Kohli star with the bat

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the pillars of Indian batting for a number of years and they showed their class right through the tournament, in contrasting fashions.

While the former transformed his game to ensure India got off the blocks rapidly, the latter played perfectly to ensure India built on the foundations laid by the former.

In the process, both players amassed in excess of 500 runs in the tournament and broke a plethora of records such as most centuries by a single player in an ODI World Cup (Sharma) and most centuries by a player in ODI history. (Kohli).

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli each made more than 500 runs in their own contrasting styles.

Maxwell mania in Mumbai

Before the ODI World Cup, the world knew that Glenn Maxwell could bat and be destructive on his day. But on November 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the Victorian produced a performance for the ages against Afghanistan, rescuing his side from 91-7 and helping them track down the score of 293 by making an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls to leave the Afghans and the rest of the world stunned.

The performance gains further significance when you consider that he was batting with a torn hamstring which ruled out strike rotation. Then to whack sixes the way he did and with insane regularity should make the innings go down in history as one of the greatest knocks ever played in ODI history.

Additionally, Maxwell also broke the record for the fastest hundred in men's ODI World Cup history, smashing a ton off 40 balls against Netherlands in Delhi.

Afghanistan and Netherlands show glimpses of a positive future

Afghanistan and Netherlands were expected to matches in which teams won their two points and strengthened their position in the table. But with each passing game, both sides showed that with greater exposure and a stronger domestic structure, they could compete with the best in future and pull off more victories.

Pakistan crumble and head for a new start

Pakistan had yet another World Cup to forget as inconsistency proved to be their downfall. Babar Azam's captaincy left a lot to be desired and impacted his batting as well as he failed to score the runs that was expected out of him. Mohammad Rizwan had one outstanding match against Sri Lanka, but flattered to deceive otherwise. Fakhar Zaman tried to rescue a sinking ship late in the tournament, but it proved to be too little too late.

The bowling proved to be a big letdown with both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf unable to carry the load and the spinners proving ineffective. It meant that Pakistan needed change and Azam stepped down from his role after the tournament ended for the side and they will enter the era after the World Cup with new captains across formats.

Sri Lanka cricket in the mire

The decline of a consistent force in international cricket is always sad and worrisome. Until 2015, Sri Lanka remained a force to reckon with but then began a steady decline for the side with multiple retirements, administrative issues and coaching changes-all of which led to inconsistency in performances.

At the 2023 ODI World Cup, Sri Lanka cricket went through on and off field trouble which eventually culminated with the International Cricket Council suspending them because of government interference in cricket matters.

It now remains to be seen how the side recovers from the trouble and finds a way to climb back to the top again.