Configuring India’s ideal team combination for the ICC World Cup 2019? 

India recently finished its last ODI assignment before the ICC World Cup 2019 against Australia. India had a task in hand going to the series which was to sort out the playing XI for the ICC World Cup.

It was crucial for them to figure out the ideal playing XI before the conclusion of the series, but India is still figuring out the best playing XI mostly due to the inconsistency of Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu. Moreover, the failure of Rishabh Pant to take his chances has created another headache for team management.

India is still unclear about the best combination to play in the multi-nation event. While most of the major teams like England have already sorted out their team combination, India is still looking for the answers. With no ODI left to play before the ICC World Cup, here is what should be the best playing XI for India in English Conditions.

OPENERS

Rohit Sharma (VC): Rohit Sharma without any doubt should be the first choice to open the innings for India in ICC World Cup 2019. The stylish batsman is one of the best openers in world cricket at the moment. The Vice-Captain of the Indian team likes to play long innings and score big hundreds. His ability to play the pace and short bowling with relative ease will help him in the English conditions.

Shikhar Dhawan: Although Shikhar Dhawan has been struggling to score runs for a while now, there is a no way India can drop him. He has formed a settled opening pair with Rohit Sharma, and there is no point to try a different opening combination in such a crucial tournament. Shikhar Dhawan is a different beast in ICC tournaments and India can trust him to deliver goods in the ICC World Cup.

MIDDLE ORDER

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

Virat Kohli(C): Virat Kohli will lead the Indian Team in the ICC World Cup 2019. Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world, and he is a ‘Run Machine’ who is scoring ODI hundreds for fun now. Virat Kohli is already a modern-day legend, and he will be the key to India’s chances of another World Cup Glory.

Vijay Shankar: It might be an unpopular opinion, but the inclusion of Shankar can prove to be a masterstroke. His average of 47.70 with the bat in the first-class cricket shows his ability with the bat. Moreover, barring the last ODI, his batting skills were entirely on display whenever he got the chance to bat in the series against Australia. He is a good striker of the ball and also a good runner between the wickets which makes him an ideal candidate to bat at no. 4 in the World Cup.

Shankar is a supreme fielder, and his ability to bowl will provide an extra option to captain Kohli as he can be a useful bowler in the English conditions.

MS Dhoni(WK): 'Fastest hands in the World' MS Dhoni will be India’s ace behind the wickets. With all his experience and knowledge, he will be Team India’s guiding light in the World Cup. Mahi's insights from behind the stumps are going to be very crucial for the bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Because of his ability to remain calm under pressure situations and finish the matches, he will be the biggest asset to Virat Kohli.

ALL-ROUNDERS

New Zealand v India - International T20 Game 1

Kedar Jadhav: Jadhav will bat at no. 6 for India and play the role of the finisher in the World Cup. Kedar can play long innings and bail the team out of difficult situations. He is a clean striker of the ball, and he can score at a brisk rate in the death overs.

Kedar is also a man with the golden arm and has this knack of breaking partnerships at crucial junctures with his low round arm off-spin bowling. He will provide a different dimension to the Indian bowling setup in the World Cup.

Hardik Pandya: Pandya’s rise to International cricket has been phenomenal. He is India’s only genuine pace bowling all-rounder, and he has a significant role to play if India has to lift another World Cup trophy. He will be India’s fifth bowling option in the tournament and will bring back the balance to the Indian Team. His hard-hitting ability in the death overs will provide India with the required boost in death overs which makes him indispensable from the team.

BOWLERS

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Virat Kohli will rely on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s services to provide wickets upfront with the new ball. Kumar can swing the new ball both ways, and seaming conditions of England will suit his style of bowling.

In recent times, Bhuvi has added a knuckle-ball and a terrific yorker to his arsenal. He has developed into a street-smart bowler who can outsmart batsmen with his variations in the death overs. He is also a capable batsman down the order which will be a bonus for Team India.

Kuldeep Yadav: The Chinaman bowler is the one half of the Indian spin-twin. He will be the go-to bowler for Virat Kohli to pick the wickets in the middle overs which Kuldeep has been successfully doing for a while now. His wrist spin and variations are difficult to tackle for the opposition batsmen, and he will be looking to redeem himself in the World Cup after the below-par performance against Australia.

Yuzvendra Chahal: Another half of Indian spin-twin will provide another wicket-taking option in the middle overs to Captain Kohli. The Leg Spinner is an intelligent bowler who can bowl in the first ten overs too. Together with Kuldeep, his job will be to contain the opposition in the middle overs while providing crucial breakthroughs.

Jasprit Bumrah: Arguably the best fast bowler in the world at the moment, Jasprit Bumrah will complete the Indian bowling attack. He will be the leader of Indian bowling attack in the ICC World Cup 2019. He will share the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar upfront, and his ability to bowl deadly Yorkers in the death overs will help India in containing the oppositions.