3 areas of concern for India at the 2019 World Cup

The Indian juggernaut has reached a supreme level of dominance in ODI cricket after having clinched the ODI series against South Africa in South Africa. In the past 18 months, Virat Kohli and his men have played a fantastic brand of cricket across all the formats. Having cemented the No.1 spot in ICC ODI Rankings, the Indian team have made sure that they go into the 2019 World Cup as one of the pre-tournament favorites.

With less than a year to go for the grand 2019 World Cup, the Indian team would like to try out all permutations and combinations to churn out the best team for the 2019 World Cup. Thus, let us have a look at the areas of concern that the Indian team will need to look into before the 2019 World Cup.

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#3 Countering the post 40-over ball

The final flourish just does not seem to work out

While the Indian team is basking in the glory of their memorable series win against South Africa, there is no denying the fact that the team administration wouldn't be happy. The reason for the same is India's constant struggles to finish the innings strongly.

Although India's batting line-up has produced some strong performances in the past, they have struggled on one front, and it has been a problem over the last two years. While setting targets, India haven't matched other international teams in making the most of the final 10 overs.

With a little more than a year remaining for the following World Cup, the consistent disappointments to finish off emphatically are sufficient to give the team administration restless nights. In Kohli, India has a skipper who will never shy away from accepting striking issues and one can anticipate that he will act in the near future to take care of this issue.

#2 Hardik Pandya's inconsistency

Pandya's frailties are a cause for concern

The most recent 18 months has seen the fleeting ascent of youthful Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya. From recreating his IPL accomplishment at the international level to now making his case in Test cricket, it has been an exceptional trip up to this point.

Of late, inconsistency has been a problem for Pandya. In his last 11 ODIs, Pandya has only scored 52 runs at an average of 8.67. Thus with a World Cup ahead, the Indian team administration needs to look into the matter closely.

There's no doubting Pandya's abilities. But he needs to pull up his socks soon enough and repay the faith that the Indian selectors have kept in him for so many months.

#1 The No.4 spot conundrum

Rahane has not been able to cement his place in the ODI side

The matter of worry right now is the vital no.4 batting space. Like Tests, in ODIs this position is the connection between the top order and the lower order and the right man needs to possess it with a specific end goal to keep the balance of the playing XI in place.

A substitute is a bet while a dead-bat is a major hazard. No team would like to go either way and intends to discover the man with the correct mix to carry out the activity. For India, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli did the activity in the 2011 World Cup triumph and it was Ajinkya Rahane who turned out to bat at no.4 in six out of seven matches in the 2015 edition.

Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane have been tried and tested at the no.4 spot but none of them have convinced enough to make it their own. As the Indian cricket team locks their eyes on the 2019 World Cup; the captain, coach, and selectors need to look and groom players for the important No.4 spot.