ODI Cricket World Cup is knocking at the door now. The anticipation and expectation from Team India are palpable, as cricket enthusiasts are gearing up for the Tournament. Within next one and half months all will come to know whether are we lifting the trophy for the third time or not. It is going to be an exciting month - a month and a half coming up for viewers.
India is going to start their campaign against Australia on 8th of October in M.A.Chidambaram stadium Chennai. Let's have a look at the schedule for India's matches.
| Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 08 October 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | AUSTRALIA | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Wed 11 October 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | AFGHANISTAN | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Sat 14 October 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | PAKISTAN | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Thu 19 October 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | BANGLADESH | MCA International Stadium, Pune |
| Sun 22 October 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | NEW ZEALAND | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala |
| Sun 29 October 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | ENGLAND | BRSABVE Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Thu 02 November 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | SRI LANKA | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Sun 05 November 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | SOUTH AFRICA | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Sun 12 November 14:00 (YOUR TIME) | NETHERLANDS | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
India's Squad
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicket Keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan (Wicket Keeper), Suryakumar Yadav
Since Axar Patel missed out due to injury and Ashwin's inclusion at the last minute is going to strngthen the team in the bowling department. Aswin can be very dangerous in the home conditions, especially on the pitches which are going to provide some purchase to the spinners.
Team Combination
Considering the venue and the opponent, selecting an accurate team combination is extremely important. Since only 4 teams are going to qualify out of 10 teams, each game of the tournament is extremely important. My probable playing 11 against Australia is,
- Shubman Gill
- Rohit Sharma (captain)
- Virat Kohli
- KL Rahul
- Ishan Kishan
- Hardik Pandya
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Siraj
If we consider this team, there are a couple of places where India's team management is facing a selection conundrum. They were trying out few options and applying alternatives to reach a conclusion in the recently concluded Australia series. There are three contenders for batting position 5, Ishan Kishan, SKY and Shreyas Iyer. I will go with Ishan Kishan owing to the fact that a left-hander batter in the top order is crucial whether to put the bowler off from their line and length or tackling wrist spinners. Here Indian team is going to miss Rishab Pant badly, he was phenomenal in this position for last couple of years. India should play Ashwin in front of Shardul for sure on the Chennai pitch (No further discussion is required).
Strengths
Let's talk about the strengths of the Indian team that are on display building up to this World Cup campaign,
- India's top 4 is in prime form. They played a very successful Asia Cup campaign and are looking quite good to get big runs on Indian pitches.
- Hardik Pandya is looking fit and playing key roles in both the department. Specially impressed with his bowling performances in the recently concluded Asia Cup, which is an excellent sign.
- Our pace department looked quite hot in Asia Cup as well as in Australia series. It could be important for team management to keep our big three (Bumrah, Siraj, Shami) fresh and roaring throughout the tournament.
- Our spin department looks promising, specially with inclusion of Ashwin who can possibly become match winner specially on wickets which will assist spinners a bit. Kuldeep is in red hot wicket taking form for last one year or so. India will be hoping that Kuldeep is going to extend his rich vein of form through out this tournament.
Concerns
Few areas India would love to tidy up a bit before the main tournament starts,
- Jadeja's batting form is the biggest concern at this moment. Since India's bowlers are not non for their batting prowess it becomes crucial for Jadeja to finish the game or contribute significantly with bat in this long tournament.
- India's fielding is another area of concern. In recent matches, they have dropped number of catches on the field. Although slip-catching has improved in the presence of Subhman Gill. Otherwise India will look to improve significantly in this department.
- Hardik Pandya's fitness is again extremely important with regards to India's chances. He is the trump card for the team to provide the balance with either batting or his bowling capabilities.
- Death bowling is another area where India should be focusing on. Bumrah has always been reliable in that phase of the game but other bowlers also need to support him and should not leak runs from the other end in crunch situations.
Conclusion
India's chances are bright in this world cup, considering home support and playing in familiar conditions.Now time will tell us if India can go on and lift the trophy to fulfill dreams of billion fans or not.