ICC World Cup 2019: 3 things India lack ahead of the tournament

We are less than a 100 days away from cricket’s biggest event to get underway. Yes, it is the 2019 World Cup we are talking about, the 12th edition of the tournament. All the top teams are looking to dominate the tourney, while the new teams are looking forward to make a mark in the international arena. It’s always the big guns that have dominated the event from the start, with Australia winning five trophies, followed by India and West Indies with two World Cup wins each.

India have always been very competitive in the World Cup. In particular, they have the second-best winning percentage (62.83%) in the big stage after Australia, who have a terrific win record of 75.30%. But this time, India has a superior unit when compared to other teams in all departments.

But, there are areas of concern for the team, which will have to be addressed as soon as possible. Let us have a look at three things India lack ahead of the World Cup:

#1 A finisher

Dhoni and Pant

The Indian team has always been blessed with players who have finished games for the team. Right from Kapil Dev to MS Dhoni, their contributions to the team’s success have been immense. A finisher is someone who can score some quick runs at the end to help them post a total or chase down the target by accelerating at the right time.

Dhoni has done this extremely well for the team for a lot of years but with age, he has lost the touch he had in his initial years. Therefore, he has been moved up the order to play a supporting role. Hardik Pandya looks promising but has injury concerns, whereas Dinesh Karthik is inconsistent. They have also tried Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar, who are good but aren’t able to come up with big shots when needed. The team is in desperate need of a finisher who can score at a strike-rate of 120+.

#2 Stability in the middle order

Ambati Rayudu

The middle order's fragility is a concern for the Indian team in the run up to the World Cup. The biggest concern is that the result of the game is heavily dependent on the top order batsmen, with the middle order struggling to cope with pressure when the top order fails.

Since 2016, the top order has contributed a huge chunk of runs, with most centuries and fifties to their names. They also have the best average when compared to other teams' top orders, and have faced more than 10k balls. In the same period, the middle order has faced about 5000+ balls, which is half of that of the top order.

In addition to this, a top order player has been in the middle until the end in more than 50% of the games, which is a significant factor for India’s success. The middle order needs to step up if India are to regain the World Cup trophy.

#3 The fifth bowler conundrum

Indian bowlers

In spite of all the shortcomings with the bat, the Indian bowling has improved drastically. But to win a World Cup, it is not enough. The fast bowlers have been consistent with their lines and lengths in the initial ten, with the KulCha (Kuldeep-Chahal) combination controlling the game in the middle overs. That leaves us with a 5th bowler, who has to be economical as well as provide breakthroughs occasionally, which has been a huge worry for the Indian team.

The fifth bowler has to be someone who is handy with the bat too. They tried Hardik Pandya, but were forced to look at other options because of his injuries. Vijay Shankar is being tried as of now, but he is leaking too many runs in spite of valuable contributions with the bat. Jadeja has the experience, but has been fairly inconsistent in the recent past. If the team can find someone who can finish their quota of ten overs under six an over, Kohli will not have to go to his part-timers.