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

#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.