ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: 5 Teams which are in the race for a semi-finals berth

#1 India

If wishes and prayers could win a World Cup title for a team, India would be on top of that list forever. However, it is the players’ skills and a bit of fortune that make a champion.

The Indian squad for the 2019 World Cup has a number of stalwarts, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, amongst others proving their match-winning skills time and time again. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are one of the leading opening pairs in the world while MS Dhoni's composure adds a lot of depth to the batting unit. The presence of versatile players like Hardik Pandya, who has been enjoying a purple patch of late, Vijay Shankar and Ravindra Jadeja should add a lot of depth to both departments.

The fast bowling department is well served by the combination of ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. However, the trump card for India will be the efficiency of the two wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and their wicket-taking abilities in the middle-overs in batting friendly conditions should play to India’s advantage.