3 Reasons why India could struggle in the 2019 World Cup

The year 2019 can be considered as the most coveted year in the cricketing world in recent times as the most illustrious tournament of men’s cricket is just a few months away from taking the center-stage.

After MS Dhoni quit ODI captaincy in early 2017, the Indian men’s cricket team under their new leader Virat Kohli have left no stone unturned in their quest to emerge as an ODI superpower. Along with their dominance in the sub-continent, they’ve managed to get series victories in places like South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

While India are being considered to be front- line contenders to win the WC, there are certain loopholes in their ODI setup which can turn out to be the reason for a major disappointment in the tournament. Here’s a look at the 3 main reasons why India will struggle to win the World Cup.

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#1 Inconsistent middle-order

Ambati Rayudu may not be the solution to India's middle order woes

India have been the most consistent side in the One day format since the CT '17 Final loss against Pakistan. However, if there has been one area which has constantly hurt India, it definitely has to be the uncertainty in the middle order.

After trying and testing out many options for the no. 4 slot including the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, India apparently consider Ambati Rayudu as the answer to their woes.

Going by Rayudu’s stats, it would seem he is the perfect answer to the middle order conundrum. But as they say, numbers don’t speak everything.

Rayudu along with MS Dhoni tend to play too many dots at the start of their innings. While this approach maybe helpful in arresting a collapse, it doesn’t always work out. In a high-scoring game, the 10-15 dots that they face can well be the difference between winning and losing a game.

Along with this, India have often found themselves guilty of not accelerating in the last 10 overs in recent times. Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya have shown signs of overcoming this problem in the recently concluded NZ series. But the question remains: Can they do this on a consistent basis?

#2 Lack of adaptability of the openers in swinging conditions

Indian openers may struggle in the swinging conditions on offer in England

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have excelled as an opening pair and have gone from strength to strength with each innings to become one of the best opening pairs in ODI format, if not the best in the world. Given their dominance in this particular format, their ability to face the new ball in swinging conditions has been masked by their staggering overall record.

Dharamsala ODI against Sri Lanka, Leeds ODI against England and in Hamilton against NZ, Indian openers have been found wanting against the moving ball. They’ve shown desperate attempt to see out the new ball in the initial few overs but have never been able to carry on from there, thus exposing the middle order very early in the match.

In a place like England where you’re bound to get such green tops every other match, this problem could come back to haunt India.

#3 The 5th bowler conundrum

Hardik Pandya tends to go for plenty in the death overs

India’s recent success in the limited overs setup owes a lot of credit to their bowling line-up. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav & Yuzvendra Chahal have emerged as one of the most reliable bowlers in the format.

To go along with this, India have often found it difficult to get the best out of their 5th bowler. Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav are the most probable options to fill that spot. Though both of them are more than capable of breaking important partnerships, they have often leaked a few runs in the business end of an innings, particularly Hardik.

On a day when either of the fab four bowlers aren't up to the mark, India may find it hard to get their bowling combination right, which may eventually cost them big in the later stages of the tournament.