Cricket World Cup 2019: 6 players who will be key to India's success

The all-important quadrennial Cricket World Cup is less than a year away and the fans' excitement has reached fever pitch. The 12th edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place from 30 May to 14 July 2019 in England and Wales.

The competition will get underway with a total of 10 teams competing for the coveted trophy. Going into the tournament, the 2011 World Cup champions, India, are being tipped as one of the favorites to clinch the World Cup title.

The 2015 World Cup ended on a rather disappointing note for the Men in Blue as they were ruled out of the contest in the semi-finals stage in the wake of a 95-run hammering at the hands of Australia.

Consequently, Team India will aspire to patch up their record in the forthcoming World Cup.

On that note, let us take a look at the 6 consequential players who will determine India's fate in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

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#6 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has risen to fame of late as he is now a guaranteed starter for the Indian Cricket Team. The 28-year-old is arguably the most complete Indian bowler across all conditions and formats as of now.

In the English conditions, Kumar proved his worth in the 2014 series versus England in which he was named the Man of the Series. Bhuvi emerged as the highest wicket-taker in that series and etched his name on the Lord’s honors board as a result.

He was also quite handy with the bat as he registered three fifties in the tour, becoming the first Indian number 9 to do so.

In the 2015 World Cup, Bhuvi failed to make any exceptional contributions due to his injury issues. He only featured in one match against the United Arab Emirates, which he ended with a tally of 1/19.

In the coming World Cup, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be of immense importance for Virat Kohli's side as he is expected to give some serious dents to the opponents, in tandem with Jasprit Bumrah.

#5 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan first took the stage in the 2004 U-19 World Cup when he notched up 505 runs with the help of 3 hundreds. However, he fell prey to the tremendous competition in the Indian squad and was compelled to wait another six years before making his debut in October 2010 against Australia.

In the past couple of years, the southpaw has formed a deadly opening duo with the Mumbai Indians skipper, Rohit Sharma, and it is all but improbable that the management will look to alter the pair.

As for his suitability in the English conditions, Dhawan underwent a disenchanting Test series in 2014 but has since rectified his frailties as evinced by his performance in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

#4 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has established himself as one of the most promising young talents in cricket. The Baroda all-rounder thrust himself into the limelight in the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League with his back-to-back sensational performances for Mumbai Indians.

He made his debut for the Indian cricket team on 27 January 2016 in a Twenty20 International against Australia, managing to secure 2 wickets in the match.

The prodigy's contributions will be majorly influential in India's World Cup campaign, both with the bat and ball.

#3 Rohit Sharma

In the face of a remarkably substandard IPL season latterly, there's no denying that Rohit Sharma boasts the potential to single-handedly lead the Indian team to victory.

In the ODI format, the 31-year-old is one of the best batsmen presently and also owns a unique record of the most double hundreds (3) in the One Day Internationals.

In the 2015 World Cup campaign, Rohit Sharma was India's second-highest run-getter with a score of 330 runs, including a hundred and two fifties.

If he manages to acquire his blistering form at the time of the World Cup, it will be well-nigh impossible for other participating teams to scupper India's chances.

#2 MS Dhoni

Despite many cricket pundits predicting the 2019 tournament to be Dhoni's last World Cup, the Chennai Super Kings' captain has shown time and again that he is still not ready to bid adieu to the game of cricket (most recently in IPL 2018).

In 2011, it was MS Dhoni who skippered the Indian side to victory and even though he won't be wearing the armband this time, the 36-year-old will still be seen giving useful tips to Virat Kohli.

Not only will he be of much use in commanding the side but he can also mould India's fortunes with the bat as we have seen many a time. At the minute, the veteran has an impressive average of 51.37 in ODIs.

#1 Virat Kohli

And finally the cynosure, the wunderkind, the skipper himself. Perhaps the most predictable entry on the list, Virat Kohli beggars all description.

The way he has shot to fame and has cemented his position in the international cricket is one for the books. Even though the ineffable Sachin Tendulkar is undoubtedly irreplaceable, if there is someone who has come close to filling his massive boots, it has to be Virat Kohli.

The 29-year-old will skipper India's side in the upcoming World Cup and it is quite understandable that the fans have already pinned their hopes on the brilliance of the man.

Although it can be argued that the Royal Challengers Bangalore's captain is not adept at batting in the difficult English conditions as underpinned by his dismal performance in 2014, it is undeniable that Virat Kohli has improved his game by leaps and bounds in the years gone by and could throw down the gauntlet to all question marks in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.