3 retired Indian cricketers who would have shone in Kohli's squad at the 2019 World Cup

The Indian Cricket Team is gearing up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England. The team's ODI record over the last years has been sensational and on current form, India are one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

However, there are certain problems skipper Virat still needs to solve with respect to his 50-over side.

There are still some gaps in the playing XI that need to be filled up. There are also some concerns about the form and fitness of certain players. Here is a list of 3 former cricketers who excelled for India in the previous editions and would have probably fit perfectly into Kohli's current squad for the tournament:

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#3 Zaheer Khan (from the 2011 World Cup)

Zaheer was India's go-to bowler in the 2011 World Cup

India's fast bowling department has been spearheaded by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah in recent times. Both have been bowling beautifully and have picked up wickets consistently.

However, question marks remain over the third fast bowling option. None of the contenders – Umesh Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Siddharth Kaul and Khaleel Ahmed – have done enough over the last few months to make the spot their own.

In seamer-friendly conditions in England, India needs a reliable third seamer. The experienced Zaheer Khan would have filled this void with his skills and guile. Being a left-arm bowler, he would have added variety to the attack.

He had the ability to swing the new ball both ways as well as reverse swing the older ball. He was nippy and could also bowl deadly yorkers in the death overs.

Khan's World Cup stats speak are nothing short of phenomenal. From 2003 to 2011, he played in 3 World Cups and picked up 44 wickets, which puts him 5th on the all-time highest wicket-takers in the tournament.

He was an integral part of India's run to the finals in 2003. And when India did lift the trophy in 2011, he was their main strike bowler. That year, he scalped 21 wickets in the tournament, which was the joint highest for that edition.

He was MS Dhoni's go-to man in the tournament and was called upon whenever the team needed to break a partnership in the middle overs. This is another area where the current Indian team could do with him as they lack wicket-taking seamers the middle of the innings, should the spinners fail.

#2 Rahul Dravid (from the 2003 World Cup)

Rahul Dravid doubled up as keeper and a finisher in 2003

It is no secret that Dhoni's form with the bat has been poor of late. It is his glovework behind the stumps and his tactical support for Kohli that have kept him in the side. With just about six months to go for the tournament, there isn't sufficient time for India to find a reliable replacement for him.

However, if they had an option to bring in someone from yesteryear, Rahul Dravid would have been a perfect choice.

An in-form Dravid would walk into any team in the world based on his batting alone. But this team would utilize him as a keeper-batsman – the role he performed so successfully in the 2003 World Cup. In that tournament, he was more than handy behind the stumps and also played the role of a finisher with the willow in hand.

In the current Indian team, he would have batted at number five in the batting order. Should the team lose early wickets, the right-hander would provide much-needed solidity to the middle order. While chasing, he would double up as a finisher with his calm and composed temperament. He would also fill the leadership void left by Dhoni with his sound captaincy and ability to mentor the youngsters as he has done for the under-19 unit as a head coach.

#1 Kapil Dev (from the 1983 World Cup)

Kapil Dev will always be a cricketing legend in India

India's all-rounder spot is still open for someone for someone like Kapil Dev.

While Hardik Pandya has been impressive in patches, he tends to leak runs while bowling. Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, is not a reliable batsman, especially in a chase.

Rarely has the world seen a cricketer like Dev, who was so good with both bat and ball.

Fans in India remember him fondly for the 1983 World Cup Victory. Be it his 175 against Zimbabwe in a do-or-die match or the catch he to dismiss Viv Richards in the final – his contribution to the victory was titanic. Moreover, Dev's leadership skills brought the best out of a bunch of players who were considered average in the build-up to the tournament.

The all-rounder would come in to bat at number six and was a dependable finisher with the willow with an uncanny ability to hit huge sixes. He was also a fantastic swing bowler who could make the ball talk on any pitch.

With him at 6, this team would have played either of Pandya or Jadeja at 7 - giving them depth in both batting and bowling. Or they would have also roped in Kedhar Jadhav at 6 and Dev at 7, making the batting really strong in away conditions.

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Tendulkar is not on this list purely because the Indian top-order is already doing well and other problems in the playing XI which need to be solved first.

Dream XI - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah