ICC World Cup: Is India's 2019 squad stronger than 2015's?
India are all set to play their 12th ICC World Cup, starting in England from May 30. This would be the fifth instance of the tournament being held in England, while Australia are the defending champions. India have won the title twice in 1983 and 2011. They would begin their campaign against South Africa on June 5. Is India's 2019 squad stronger than 2015's?
India to play South Africa in opener
Following is India's schedule (3 PM IST): June 5: vs South Africa, Southampton June 9: vs Australia, The Oval June 13: vs New Zealand, Nottingham June 16: vs Pakistan, Manchester June 22: vs Afghanistan, Southampton June 27: vs Windies, Manchester June 30: vs England, Birmingham July 2: vs Bangladesh, Birmingham July 6: vs Sri Lanka, Leeds
Team India for ICC World Cup 2019
India have lost just six series since World Cup 2015
Considering India's performance since their World Cup 2015 exit against Australia, they have been on a triumphal run. Since then, they have played 20 ODI series, and lost only six of them. Of those six, they have lost two at home. Overall, they have played 86 matches since the event in 2015, winning 56 and losing 27, with a winning percentage of 65.88.
India have a lethal bowling attack
There have been notable developments in Indian squad since 2015. While the batting has not seen much of change, it is their bowling that has grabbed headlines of late. They have the services of world number one bowler Jasprit Bumrah, along with the consistency of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. In spin, the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been lethal lately.
A reliable top-order with world-class bowling attack
Analyzing the strengths of India's squad before the World Cup, the crux of the batting would be the top three batsmen. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, along with skipper Virat Kohli should be enough to do the job on most of the occasions. Further, as discussed above, their world-class bowling attack could prove to be fatal for any batting order.
India's number four snag a headache for middle-order
The primary weakness of the 2019 Indian World Cup squad is their middle-order, especially the number four position. While they are mostly dependent on the top-order, they are yet to solve their muddle with the number four batting spot. With Vijay Shankar being eyed as the preferred man, KL Rahul's virulent form of late is bound to give Kohli and team management some headache.
India's middle-order needs to work to script World Cup success
Although India's middle-order has top names, their dependency on the top-order makes things difficult. While they also have the priceless services of veteran MS Dhoni, who has been in brutal form, he can't do all the hard work. Thus, the author strictly warns that it is their middle-order, which needs to click as a unit to stand any chance to win the World Cup.
