"Arey band kar... band kar..." - Top 10 funny memes as ICC releases official theme anthem of World Cup 2023

The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the official anthem of the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup on Wednesday (September 20). The song's video features Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and a couple of online influencers like Dhanashree Verma, wife of India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

Bollywood musician Pritam composed the song and was also one of the singers. Nakash Aziz, Sreerama Chandra, Amit Mishra, Jonita Gandhi, AKASA, and Charan also lent vocals for the anthem. Shloke Lal and Saaveri Verma wrote the lyrics for the song.

Cricket fans watched the anthem and then took to social media platforms to give their reviews. Some liked it, while others felt it was not up to the standards set by the anthems from the previous World Cups.

The majority opined that the 2011 anthem composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was far better than the latest one. Here are some fan reactions to the song:

Team India's schedule for ICC ODI World Cup 2023

The finalists of the 2019 edition of the tournament, England and New Zealand, will clash in the curtain raiser of the World Cup on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Team India's journey will begin on October 8 in Chennai, where they will square off against Australia.

Match 5: October 8 - India vs Australia, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 2 pm IST

Match 8: October 11 - India vs Afghanistan, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 2 pm IST

Match 13: October 15 - India vs Pakistan, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, 2 pm IST

Match 17, October 19 - India vs Bangladesh, Maharashtra Cricket Association, Pune, 2 pm IST

Match 21, October 22 - India vs New Zealand, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala, 2 pm IST

Match 29, October 29 - India vs England, Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 2 pm IST

Match 33, November 2 - India vs Qualifier 2, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 2 pm IST

Match 37, November 5 - India vs South Africa, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, 2 pm IST

Match 43, November 11 - India vs Qualifier 1, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, 2 pm IST

About the author

Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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