3 Reasons why India can win the ICC World Cup 2019, and 3 reasons why they cannot

Vijay
Can the current team under Virat Kohli go all the way and replicate the feat of the 2011 team?
Can the current team under Virat Kohli go all the way and replicate the feat of the 2011 team?

The ICC World Cup is the biggest cricketing event in the sport, and the next World Cup is less than a year away. India will start as one of the favorites to take the trophy home this time around.

But while Virat Kohli's men have been more consistent than most teams when it comes to the limited overs format, they still have major chinks in their armor that they need to sort out if they need to go all the way.

ICC events generally bring out the best from Team India, and recent history supports that. An inexperienced and relatively weak Indian side went on to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, and reach the semifinal stage of the ICC WC 2015.

There are reasons to support India's claim to winning the ICC extravaganza, and also some reasons why it seems like they cannot pull this one off.

Here's a look at all those reasons:


Reason #3 why India can win - Best top 3 that anyone can ask for

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - the best batsmen in the world
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - the best batsmen in the world

India is a country known for producing world-class batsman time and again. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have joined the long list of great batsmen produced by India.

Kohli has been the mainstay of this Indian set-up for a long time now. The Indian captain is unarguably the best batsman in the world right now, and will look to win the winner's medal for a second time.

Openers are key to any team's results, and Dhawan and Rohit form the best pair at the top that any team could have asked for. Dhawan is particularly known for his exploits in major tournaments. The southpaw was the leading run-scorer in the 2013 Champions Trophy, and also in the recently concluded Asia Cup. India will once again be looking at Dhawan to get the job done.

The Hitman from Mumbai, on the other hand, has been a very reliable commodity ever since his promotion to the top of the order. The added responsibility of vice-captaincy has helped him improve as a batsman even further.

Rohit is the only one with more than one ODI double hundred, and with short boundaries in England, he will be looking to add one more feather to his cap.

Reason #3 why India can't win - Middle order conundrum

MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni

When you have a top 3 comprising of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, any middle order might look weak. But India's batting line-up can be divided into two distinct parts: one is a batting heavy top-order, and the other is a fragile middle order.

India's major worry while traveling overseas has been the inability of the middle order batsmen to continue the momentum provided by their top-order batters.

Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Lokesh Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu are the list of batsmen that India has tried at No. 4, but none of them has been able to own that spot (although Rayudu is showing signs of embracing it).

This constant changing in the middle order has also affected the lower middle order.

Finding the right combination has been the biggest challenge for Kohli and the selectors. This is one jigsaw that the team needs to sort out to stand a chance of lifting the coveted prize in England.

Reason #2 why India can win: Bowling attack

Is this India's best ever bowling attack?

India have traditionally been a batting heavy team, history says it is the bowling that wins you the matches and not the other way around. In testing conditions such as England, the bowling will play a major role in determining the outcome of every game.

This is where India can now fancy their chances. Under Virat Kohli they are close to becoming a bowling powerhouse; it is safe to say that the Indian side has ticked all the boxes when it comes to their bowling.

The deadly combination of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball early on and again at the death has proved to be lethal for many opposition teams.

The relatively inexperienced duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are a vital cog in this bowling attack. The return of Ravindra Jadeja has added further variety into the spin department. We can also expect Hardik Pandya to come to his own when the team needs it.

Reason #2 why India can't win: Lack of batting all-rounder

Does Kedhar Jadhav the batsman deserve a place?

A team is said to be perfectly balanced only if there is a smooth bridge between the batting department and the bowling department. This is something that every great team has possessed.

India earlier had Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh, Australia had Andrew Symonds, South Africa had Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis.

But the current Indian team, apart from Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, is filled with specialist players. While Pandya the bowler has been improving constantly, as a batsman he still has a long way to go despite sporadic heroics with the willow.

Kedhar Jadhav is the only viable option that India now possess for this role. Jadhav has indeed been successful in getting crucial breakthroughs, and was one of the prime reasons for India's Asia Cup defense, but his role as a batsman in the side is in grave danger; his constant injuries have made things tough for the Indian team.

In the absence of Jadhav, India are likely to walk in with exactly 5 bowlers.

Reason #1 why India can win: Rich experience

Will India do it for Dhoni?

India have already been there and done it, which is something that other teams except Australia cannot say. This Indian team has won the ICC Champions Trophy, and been in many more knockout matches than most of the other teams.

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni will be the hub of experience in this Indian set-up. MSD's experience has already rubbed on to the bowlers, and we cannot forget about the Dhoni Review System.

Kohli on his part will also play a major role in helping out the inexperienced middle order.

Most strong teams in the world right now lack the experience to compete at the biggest stage. For Instance, the strong English unit failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy finals even while playing in home conditions against a relatively inexperienced Pakistani side.

India will rely on their rich experience to the lift the coveted prize for the third time in World Cup history.

Reason #1 why India can't win: Recent history

Will this once again be the case in the World Cup?

India now have a sore memory of England as they were outclassed by the English side in all the facets of the game. India's series loss against England has left many pondering whether this team is suited for all conditions and if they can get the job done in alien conditions.

The said series exposed the bench strength of India's pace battery in overseas conditions, and the inability of the Indian wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzhvenda Chahal to be lethal in testing conditions. It also showed the over-reliance of India on the top 3 in particular; while Dhoni might still be effective as wicket-keeper, his place as a batsman has become a hot topic.

Every team has some favorable factors and some unfavorable ones in their quest towards glory. It is the team that performs when needed the most that becomes the World Champion.

Will India become the World Champions? Only time will tell.

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Edited by Musab Abid