Pratik Ghorpade: The number of bowling options and batting depth England has is incredible and they can go really hard at their opponents while batting

"Stokes not doing much," says Ganesh. "Just standing on the sidelines with a rugby ball for company as the others warm up, that could be an indicator that he isn’t fully fit yet."

Our correspondent Ganesh Chandrasekaran informs us from the venue that players are going through light drills on what is a very warm day. Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner doing some bowling practice, and Chris Woakes and Sam Curran the same. The stands still look fairly empty at the moment, though that should change quickly.

Kartheek Kotupalli: Adil Rashid will be the key factor for England going into the Big Tournament

Vikas Rana: NZ without Williamsom is already 80-20 towards england. Hoping for a close encounter nonetheless.

Shabbir Hamdulay: Sad to hear that the Hero of 2019 WC - Stokes is doubtful for opener and that too after coming back from retirement

Kishore: With all the buzz around this WC about the format itself, it would be great if we can witness a gruelling game today to kickstart and shed the noise.

There was nothing to separate these two teams in the 2019 final, and there's nothing to separate them in the World Cup head-to-head either. It's 5-5. Dig into this rivalry some more with our feature linked above.

12.30pm local: A lot of the warm-up fixtures for this tournament were marred by rain. But there should be none of that today in hot and sultry Ahmedabad.

Having said all that, the buzzword around these tournaments seems to be "pressure". The captains were regularly reminded of it by the media during their briefing yesterday. Not surprisingly, Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam got most of the questions, if not all, and a request had to be made to spread out the questions a little more. It's also around this time you'll see former players talking about handling the big game pressure across TV, digital and print. It's one of those intangibles that may or may not have a huge bearing on performance, but it makes you just admire the show put on by these teams even more.

We've had quite a few matches leading into this tournament that could be indicative of where the teams are at. India, the hosts, the winners of the Asia Cup, start as one of the favourites after a dominant lead-up into the tournament. Not to forget that the trend of the World Cup being won by host nations started with them back in 2011. Will it come full circle 12 years later? England, the defending champions, might have a thing or two to say about that. Brimming with batting depth and hitting ability, the methods that led them to the title in 2019 are very much alive and kicking as they showed against New Zealand recently. That's not to discount New Zealand's chances. Runners-up in 2019 and 2015, and semifinalists in 2011 and 2007, you just know they're going to bring their best cricket here. And the same goes for Australia. But can you say that for South Africa? Let's wait and watch. The rest of them - Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Netherlands and Sri Lanka - don't feature in too many top-four lists of experts, but definitely have the ability to throw a surprise or two.

12pm local: Hello, hello! The day we've all been looking forward to is finally here. 10 teams, 10 venues, one big prize, and it all starts today in Ahmedabad. For the next 46 days, all the apprehensions about the ODI format and its future, however valid they might be, can wait. As much as the interest levels in the format may have dwindled, a lot of people would still concede that the World Cup, or rather - the ODI World Cup, remains the biggest prize in the sport. For this is the stage where legacies are born, champions are made, and magical realism is unleashed (looking at you, 2019). You want to watch the best in the world in action? Look nowhere else. Want to see players fight hard for every inch? You got it. Iconic scenes? Well, duh. Electrifying crowds? Okay, stop. Just see it for yourself as the spectacle unfolds. This is Sagar Chawla wishing you a warm welcome to our live coverage.

Preview by Ganesh Chandrasekaran

Four years on from that infamous match at Lord's, in a completely different setting at the imposing Narendra Modi Stadium, will we have a match as exciting as that final? In some ways, it'd be a much-needed shot in the arm for a World Cup that has otherwise been in the limelight for varied reasons, including a focus on the format of the game itself. There's a case to be made that the interest around a World Cup is not necessarily dictated by the general interest in the format, or an overdose of cricket.

Even as there is a clamour for tickets for India matches and other marquee games in the tournament, the acid test for the tournament could be in how the rest of the matches figure in public memory, especially in India. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that no game apart from that final still holds a place dear to the heart for most cricket fans, neutral or otherwise. It is with that lingering memories that this one kickstarts with many a key performer still around, or making a comeback for the tournament.

Trent Boult against England's marauding top order, the potential return of Ben Stokes, the fire-breathing Mark Wood etc promise to offer plenty for any cricket tragic. As does the prospect of following England's journey in the tournament and if they can make a case for themselves as all-time greats by winning the World Cup twice in a row. Or could New Zealand break their rut in the white-ball game to become world champions. Momentum is often an operative word used by teams themselves in a tournament like this, giving the tournament-opener an extra edge as it starts a 48-day long journey.

How will England's ultra-aggressive methods fare on pitches that they'd find in India? Do they have a conservative zone to switch to if the situation demands so? Can New Zealand rise beyond the tag of underdogs? How will they cope up until Kane Williamson and Tim Southee return? Those are some of the questions that could have answers coming early in the tournament, perhaps even in Ahmedabad.

And if they do come, there'd be enough to whet the appetite for a World Cup where there are more enticing clashes to follow.

When: October 5, 2023 at 14:00 IST

Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

What to expect: A sultry, warm day going by how the lead-up has been in Ahmedabad. The pitch is bound to have some dryness as a result. Traditionally at the venue, there has been a tendency for some movement for the pacers as the lights come on.

Teams:

England

Presented with a problem of plenty, England have a variety of options to go with in the pace department. That they could afford to leave out both Reece Topley and David Willey if needed is enough of an indicator of how well stocked they are. With both being amongst the wickets, it'd be a tough call to make one way or another. Additionally, they'd be having a close look at the progress of Ben Stokes who has had a hip niggle. His participation in the opening game will depend on how he pulls up at practice, with Harry Brook being the stand-by if required.

Tactics & strategy

While Trent Boult offers plenty upfront with the new ball, there is a case for him to be used as a match-up against Ben Stokes, whom he has dismissed thrice so far at an average of 24.

Probable XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes/Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c,wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

New Zealand

How would New Zealand fill in the gap left by the absence of Kane Williamson in the top order? The inclusion of Rachin Ravindra at the top or by having James Neesham at the bottom offer solutions. Having scored a 97 in the warm-up game, Ravindra could just get the nod ahead while offering a spin option as well.

Tactics & strategy

Moeen Ali matches up well against Tom Latham, having picked him thrice overall, which could be food for thought for New Zealand if a situation arises where the batting order can be shuffled around.

Probable XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c,wk), Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham/Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson

Did you know?

- Dawid Malan has two fifties and one hundred in three outings against New Zealand, all of which came as recently as last month

- Joe Root averages 54.54 in World Cup games with three hundreds and as many fifties

- New Zealand have tackled Adil Rashid effectively over the years, with the spinner averaging 41.22 at a S/R of 43 in ODIs

What they said

Playing in a World Cup in these sort of conditions over in India is pretty special and I'm sure we're going to see some fantastic cricket over the next sort of six to eight weeks. So, fingers crossed there's plenty of one day cricket coming up in the future, but from our point of view all we can do is try to entertain from a cricket point of view. If we can do that and put a good showcase on for the people around the world, then hopefully it's here to stay - Tom Latham, New Zealand's stand-in captain

I think we'll make the right call here [on whether to rest Ben Stokes who has a niggle]. Whether [sic] he's not fit to play, he's not fit to play. If he is, then we can make that decision. But it's not a time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe do take more of a risk with people's injuries. But, yeah, it's going to be a long tournament. So, we'll see how the guys pull up here at training today and post-training, and then we can make our decisions - Jos Buttler, England captain

Squads:

England Squad: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley, David Willey

New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham