ODI World Cup 2023 takeaways: India dominates, England flops, Afghanistan arrives and Kohli shines

The Cricket World Cup group stage is over and four teams remain in the running for the title. Host nation India have swept through the tournament with nine wins, while England have put in one of the worst title defenses imaginable. Afghanistan have been a revelation, while Virat Kohli has been in sensational form

After 39 days and 45 matches, the long group stage of the Cricket World Cup is over and four teams remain in the running for the title.

It's India vs. New Zealand and South Africa vs. Australia in the semifinals this week.

Before that, it's time to have a look at the big storylines to emerge from the tournament:

Playing at home has never been so important in 50-over World Cups. The nation that was host or co-host has won the last three tournaments — India in 2011, Australia in 2015 and England in 2019 — and the Indians have swept through the group stage of this edition with nine straight wins in front of their own fans.

They knew the conditions the best, they are most aware of the benefits of batting first or chasing in all venues, and are most comfortable in the environment. Before 2011, only once had a host nation won the event — Sri Lanka in the 1996 tournament it co-hosted with Pakistan and India, and the Sri Lankans only staged two games in total amid security concerns.

The English arrived as the premier team in white-ball cricket, given their status as the World Cup holders in the Twenty20 and 50-over formats. The team that helped to revolutionize the ODI game with an ultra-aggressive approach has grown old, though, and English cricket authorities have taken their eye off the 50-over game in favour of focusing on a red-ball reset of the test team and introducing The Hundred, a contentious new domestic tournament.

Together with the players maybe believing their own hype, as well as an unlikely downturn in form, England has put in one of the worst title defenses imaginable, winning three games and finishing in seventh place. England moved out of last spot by winning its last two games. So it's back to the drawing board for the English, who'll need to develop a fresh young team for the 2027 World Cup.