World Cup 2019: Team India’s first choice playing XI

Although there are nine other countries playing the World Cup, the amount of pressure on Team India is very much unparalleled. No matter where they go, they will have supporters in huge number supporting their cause, making every arena in the world a home stadium for them. The Men in Blue currently one of the most well-equipped, well-trained and well-managed sides in the world. Under the leadership of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, they look like a nicely oiled unit to go about business in the ICC mega event.

India will begin their quest for a third World Cup title on 5th June when they will face South Africa in Southampton. They landed in London and have a good ten days to get accustomed to the conditions and weather before their first game. There also are a couple of warm-up games scheduled to help Kohli and Shastri decide their playing ideal playing XI.

Team India at the moment has the problem of plenty, they have a surplus of options for almost all slots in the batting and bowling departments, so what should the starting XI look like? Here we take a look at India’s first choice playing XI:

1. Shikhar Dhawan

The man made for ICC tournaments, Shikhar Dhawan loves the ODI format and is best suited to it. Whenever the stakes are very high, he brings his A-game into the picture and ensures his side is in a good position. Just to highlight some of his stats in 50-overs ICC tournaments, Dhawan has scored 1,113 runs in 18 innings across two Champions Trophies (2013 and 2017) and one World Cup (2015).

This will be the second time the left-hander will be representing the country in the grandiose event and his fans would love it if he can deliver a similar performance once again. The southpaw had a decent IPL and is looking in brilliant touch heading into the country where he previously won two golden bats in ICC events.

It is his form and partnerships with Rohit Sharma that will give the Indian team a decisive edge given the fact that they do have some thinness in the middle and lower order.

2. Rohit Sharma

Perhaps no one in the Indian side is as charged up as Rohit Sharma, but his confidence levels with the bat is still under the scrutiny. The 32-year-old helped Mumbai Indians win the IPL for the fourth time, making him the only captain in the history of the tournament to win it four times. He has been giving a tough fight to Virat Kohli’s position as a captain.

One of the best things with Rohit is that when he fires, the game is half won. He has the best record among all openers since the 2015 World Cup and has despite not enjoying a great run in the IPL, he will definitely relish batting on the flat English tracks. He is one of those players in the side who picks himself with his track record.

3. Virat Kohli (C)

Skipper Virat Kohli kick-started the previous two World Cups with hundreds, but failed to capitalize on it later on. His record in the greatest cricketing tournament has not been up to the mark, especially for his standard. But a cricketer with over 40 centuries in the format and over 10,000 runs in no time is a significant threat to any opposition.

He will command a lot of respect from the opponents and it won’t be easy for them to contain him. He might consider briefly to sacrifice his number 3 position to someone like a KL Rahul just to fill the number 4 void, but as it stands, that seems impossible. A team should make its best batsman bat at the best position and Kohli has to carry the burden at number 3.

4. Vijay Shankar

Who will be getting the much-debated number four slot in the Indian side? Well, there is no correct answer to it, but Vijay Shankar might get the first go at it among the current 15. KL Rahul was tried previously at number 4 and he didn’t enjoy that whilst Dinesh Karthik has not been in spectacular form, making Vijay Shankar the number one contender as of now.

He has performed well in New Zealand and in the few games he played for India, he has been impressive. He didn’t have the best of IPLs to back his performances, but he also brings in an extra bowling option just to get rid of some overs in the middle phase. If used properly, he could be a valuable asset in the side.

5. MS Dhoni (wk)

It hurts a lot of Indian cricket lovers to think that this is going to be MS Dhoni‘s final appearance in an ICC tournament, or maybe there is a chance he would appear next year in the T20 World Cup, but the chances are grim. Well, if this is his final one, all his fans, his teammates and the great man himself would want to finish on a high.

He didn’t score a lot of runs in this tournament in the three times he participated in 2007, 2011 and 2015. Yet, his calm and assuring presence in the middle order takes a lot of pressure off the current skipper Virat Kohli. We often see him take charge of the field settings and we might see him do a lot of it in England as well.

6. Kedar Jadhav

One of the most underrated stars in the current Indian lineup, Kedar Jadhav is one player a lot of cricket experts are banking on to make the difference with the bat and ball. The little man backs a punch with the willow in hand and also is very handy with his off-spin, which includes a very good record of breaking key partnerships.

He has been an injury-prone player, the only drawback his inclusion brings. His participation in the World Cup too was doubted when he missed the business end of the IPL with an injury. It seems like the BCCI has taken enough precautionary measures to get him all set for the tournament and it might not come in as a surprise if he doesn’t appear in the warm-up matches.

7. Hardik Pandya

His calendar year began with a controversy which will haunt him for the rest of his life, but with some outstanding performances for team India and Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya has pretty much redeemed himself. All of that hard work might go unnoticed if he doesn’t perform well at this stage and it would be fair to say, he faces a crucial juncture of his career.

The all-rounder has bowled very well in recent times, one area of his game which some experts had concerns. He clearly is a champion with the bat and will pose a serious threat for the opponents. India’s overall performance in England in the next couple of months will depend heavily on this player and it will be interesting to see how he reciprocates.

8. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal only gets better every day and he is, without a doubt, Virat Kohli’s first pick among the three spinners who traveled to the home of cricket. His outstanding effort with the ball saved the day for the Royal Challengers Bangalore on so many occasions in this edition’s IPL and if there is a little purchase on the English tracks, he could be devastating.

A lot of people are pipping him to be one of the dark horses this time and he definitely has the potential to finish as the leading wicket-taker. He will concede a lot of runs as he loves tossing the ball up till he reaps his reward and there will be occasions where this strategy could backfire, but the captain will keep backing him.

9. Kuldeep Yadav

After a very poor outing in the IPL, Kuldeep Yadav was dropped from the XI having conceded too many runs with the ball. He appeared a little predictable with the ball and some of the batsmen were able to read him off his action, which isn’t a good sign for him and team India. His chinaman bowling has been a huge source of wickets for the men in blue in recent times and it would be a blow if he isn’t at his best.

Nevertheless, no matter what kind of a form he is in, Kuldeep Yadav will get a place in the XI ahead of Ravindra Jadeja sheerly because of the X-factor he brings in. The leg-spinner needs some wickets to boost his confidence and will bowl a lot of overs in the warm-up matches, just to get himself back in the rhythm.

10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Another one of the quality fast bowlers who isn’t in the best of form is Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who failed to create an impact on the Sunrisers Hyderabad side this season the way he did in 2016 and 2017. He has been bowling economically, but his inability to pick wickets at regular intervals is a spot of bother.

Having said that, he will remain India’s number one choice to partner Jasprit Bumrah. He has a fantastic record in this format of the game and has proven in the past how good he can be in the death overs. If there is some wind blowing around, it will get even more difficult to tackle his spell with the new ball and the fans would want him to rejuvenate as soon as possible.

11. Jasprit Bumrah

One of the potential candidates to win the Player of the tournament, Jasprit Bumrah is quite clearly the best in the business right now. The consistency with which he pulled off some gobsmacking spells is unbelievable and although the pressure of this tournament can play in his mind, he will be up for the challenge just like other world-class players do.

He is closing in on 100 ODI wickets and is also on the verge of winning his 50th ODI cap if he plays the first game against South Africa. The last two years have been so catastrophic for bowlers across the globe and for someone to have made his debut in this period and maintained a career economy of 4.51 is just astonishing.