4 weakness that might hurt India's World Cup chances

India had started the England tour on a great note by winning the T20 series 2-1, but after the ODI series loss, there were concerns raised over certain areas. These grey areas have always troubled the Indian team in the past.

Before this ODI series, the Men in Blue were in great form winning nine series on the trot and has dominated the opposition right from the start. But at times the team has struggled against the opposition, and cannot afford to have off days on the field especially in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

If India to need to win the mega event next year, they need to work on their weaknesses and have to be more consistent. Let us enlighten the grey areas that could India's chances in the World Cup 2019.

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#4 Lower order batting

Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the key to India's lower batting woes success

The performance of the Indian lower order is one of the concerns that need to sort out before the World Cup. One of the main reasons is the exceptional performance from the top order batsmen which has refrained exposing the lower batting lineup.

Since Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been dropped from the ODI side, the lower order has struggled to score runs in death overs. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have done a brilliant job with the ball, but they have not done anything with the bat which can hurt the team badly.

Bhuvneshwar at number six has done considerably well, but the other bowlers will have to step up with the bat. The lower order contribution is always vital, and sometimes it can also change the course of the game.

Team management and the captain would have to strengthen this grey area before other teams expose it in the World Cup.

#3 Absence of a prominent finisher

Dinesh Karthik can be the prominent finisher for team India.

India has struggled to find a finisher after MS Dhoni and has tried several options. After World Cup 2015, a lot of players were given the role of a finisher, but none of them seemed too prominent. Firstly Suresh Raina was the chosen one but owing to his poor form and fitness he was dropped from the ODI squad in 2016.

For a brief time, Kedar Jadhav did an excellent job as a finisher but could not sustain his form and lost his place. Similarly, Yuvraj Singh, Manish Pandey and a few more were given the opportunity, but none of them looked fit for the role.

Currently, Hardik Pandya is batting at No.7 and has finished a few games but has lacked solidity. Dhoni, on the other hand, does not seem to have that control which he had in his peak time. Dinesh Karthik looks the most eligible candidate but has got very chances.

Overall, the team needs to find one or two finishers before the mega event, who could finish the matches on a consistent basis.

#2 Overdependence on top three batsmen

All the three top batsmen have scored the bulk of the runs for team India

There is no secret to India's dominating performance as their top three batsmen Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have performed exceptionally well in almost every series. The moment these batsmen fail to score the team has struggled to put big runs on the board.

The final match between India and Pakistan in ICC champions Trophy illustrates the over dependency. The Men in Blue required 339 runs against their arch-rivals to win, and it was on the expected lines that the fame batting lineup would chase this total. India failed to chase the score as the top three batsmen got dismissed early in the innings. As a result, the team lost the game by a huge margin of 180 runs.

The ODI series loss against the English side is an eye opener as the two losses came because of the top order failure. After World Cup 2015, except for Dhoni, no other batsmen in the middle order has retained the place which explains the fragility. Overall, team India needs to stabilize the middle order before the mega event kicks off.

#1 Too much experimentation at No. 4

MS Dhoni has a good track record at number 4 position

The number four conundrum has been the biggest concern for the Indian team. Since the 2015 World Cup, as many as ten batsmen have been used at that position, and still, there is no answer as to who will bat at No.4.

Surprisingly, Ajinkya Rahane has been the most successful batsman at this position and is sitting out of the ODI team. After the mega event in 2015, he has accumulated 420 runs in 10 matches at an average almost 47. Yuvraj Singh, Manish Pandey and many more tried to bat at this position but failed to give any solution to this problem.

In the ODI series against England, India went with Lokesh Rahul and Dinesh Karthik at No.4, but the outcome was same. Virat Kohli and Co need to find a batsman who could provide the required stability, and in all possible case, Dhoni looks the perfect fit for this position.

The former Indian has recently scored over 10000 runs in the ODI format, and with his wealth of experience, there is no better player than him. Besides he needs that extra time to get into the groove and launch the attack.

With Dhoni at No 4, he could stabilize the innings if the top order fails and also attack if required.