Opinion: 3 reasons why India can't win the 2019 World Cup

Following the 2-1 loss in the ODI series at the hands of Englishmen, the Indian cricket team became a subject of mass criticism which even raised concerns for their survival in the 2019 World Cup, which would be held in England.

The unexpected defeat might have shaken the Indian team to the core, considering their 1-0 lead against the home team in the game at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, not to forget the presence of some highly experienced players with the likes of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, who could have ensured an easy victory over the hosts in the 3-match contests.

It was hard to believe that India's entire World Cup scenario changed in a matter of four days. Had they won the ODI series, their flaws would have remained hidden in the closet. Neither media nor the cricketing fraternity would have questioned their style of play.

With only few ODI games left prior to the commencement of the 2019 World Cup, the chances for India to lift the trophy have now converged to near zero.

Here's a look at the 3 reasons which prove why India will find it difficult to win the World Cup next year.

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#3 Dhoni's finishing abilities have become a hot topic for conversation

MS Dhoni will have to deliver some over the top performances from here onwards

The veteran of 321 ODI games seems to have lost his golden touch. He might be highly effective as a wicket-keeper, in fact, the best in the world at the moment, when it comes to delivering the lightning-bolt dismissals behind the stumps. It's his batting performance which has raised the eyebrows for his future selections, however.

Despite having an average of 51.26 and 10,046 runs in the white-ball cricket, Dhoni's intent and his style of gameplay in the past couple of years have made him a subject of tremendous denunciation.

While Captian Kohli has openly backed Dhoni, critics are clamouring for the in-form Dinesh Karthik or the explosive Rishabh Pant to take the wicketkeeper's place.

#2 Hardik Pandya as an all-rounder has been inconsistent

Hardik Pandya will have to deliver some rock-solid performances in the upcoming games

Hardik Pandya's batting and bowling were below par in the concluded ODI series. The 24-year-old needs to up his performances, in whatever limited opportunities he gets prior to the World Cup games.

Pandya must realize that neither his bowling nor his batting have been highly effective in the past couple of series, and it's high time for him to devise some necessary tactics which could ameliorate his prowess as an all-rounder for the Indian team.

In 38 ODI games, he has managed to clinch 39 wickets and averages a mere 29.9 with the bat, with only 628 runs till date.

The seaming all-rounder from Baroda must contribute in the upcoming games, else, he could lose his place to Vijay Shankar, who is waiting anxiously to bounce back into the scene for the white-ball cricket.

#1 Over-reliance on the top-order batsmen

The top-order batsmen seem to be the sole contributors in the past couple of years for the Indian unit

There have been few instances where the sudden dismissals of India's top-batsmen brought the entire team to a hiatus. Be it the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, or the 3-match ODI series against England, the demise of the top 3 players put the entire pressure onto the middle-order batsmen.

Regardless of having a few highly experienced players in the middle order, India couldn't deliver what was expected and eventually suffered some heavy defeats on those crucial occasions.

The team's over-reliance on the performances of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli will not serve the team well, especially under pressure in a high-scoring chase, for example.

This remains the most critical concern for the Indian team which must be brought under immediate check if they are to fancy their chances of winning the 2019 World Cup.