ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Opinion - India's Strongest Playing XI

The time has come for the world to witness the best cricketing action in a long time as the ICC Cricket World Cup makes its periodic 4-year recurrence and we have had a lot of shift in dynamics between 2015 and now. The favorites have changed, Afghanistan and Ireland became Test playing nations while West Indies had to play qualifiers to make it to the World Cup.

With the road to the World Cup not an easy one for any team, the stakes will be higher in this year's edition. Among the favorites will be hosts England who are the best ODI team currently. Meanwhile, India will be the other favorite to win the prestigious tournament before Australia, who seem to have recovered from the poor year following the 'Sandpaper Gate' incident.

Of the teams which have been making the most impact ahead of the World Cup, it has been team India and this Indian side led by Virat Kohli have set a pretty high standard of cricket and have been on fire in the last couple of years. Barring the poor form in the recent home series versus Australia, India have done some pretty memorable achievements including the one of winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

Needless to say, they will be strong candidates to lift the trophy but India do have their problems with respect to their playing XI. They have shown that they aren't as invincible as we thought and their game plan needs a couple of tweaks. With India set to announce their squad for the World Cup in a couple of days, the entire cricketing world is in anticipation.

On that note, let's take a look at the strongest playing XI which India can field during the World Cup.

Predicted Indian squad for the World Cup: Virat Kohli(C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik,

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Openers - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

This Indian opening combo is one of the best in the tournament.

None of India's other options can beat this tremendous opening pair between Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. The duo hasn't been in the best form lately and will want to come good when the big stage is set for them.

Rohit Sharma has been one of India's best white-ball players ever since he made his comeback to the Indian team and will be one of India's most crucial players. He has had a rather patchy prelude to the World Cup and has played gritty, battling knocks more than his flamboyant, dominant ones which we are used to seeing. He will be a key presence in this side and India will back him to fire when the occasion arises.

Shikhar Dhawan has been in even poor form than his opening partner in both the IPL and in international cricket. Barring the century he scored for a losing cause at Mohali against Australia, Dhawan has had a poor start to 2019 and hasn't looked comfortable at the crease. His form will be very crucial for India and they'll hope that his love for ICC tournaments continues and he plays really well during the World Cup.

Middle Order - Virat Kohli(C), MS Dhoni(WK) and Kedar Jadhav

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni share a special bond and will look to bring the World Cup back home

India's middle order will be their biggest concern ahead of the World Cup. With captain Virat Kohli batting at No.3, India hardly finds themselves in a batting conundrum but if it happens, India's middle order need to step up and MS Dhoni will have to take a lot of the onus on himself.

Kohli will be India's most important player in this campaign. He has been the world's best batsman for some time now and though his captaincy hasn't really been up to the mark, he will have a lot of assistance from the experienced MS Dhoni and the clever Rohit Sharma. His batting will be India's most important asset and his drive to win reflects India's moral strength ahead of the tournament.

MS Dhoni has seen a great rise in form ahead of the World Cup and he has stepped up as a batsman, wicket-keeper and as a leader. He has formed a really flexible relationship with Kohli and is allowed to take care of the field-setting and this adds to the harmony in the Indian camp.

He has also changed his batting position on a lot of occasions and has done a good job at No. 4 whenever he has batted there. He is expected to bat the same way during the World Cup and come out whenever the situation needs for him.

Kedar Jadhav will be a trump card for India and his finishing skills combined with his slingy off-spinners make him a real utility player for India. He has batted well and can excel in England where the comes on to the bat nicely. He will be a crucial part of this Indian team.

All-Rounders - Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya

Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, and Kedar Jadhav have to bat well and do their bit with the ball for India

India will depend on their all-rounders to give them the 5th bowler's quota of overs and the duo of Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar will be the best India can field for the World Cup.

Shankar was never really in the plans for the World Cup but his sudden rise in form and excellent batting performances and technique make him a good option for India. The No.4 position has been up for the grabs and Shankar seems to be the best option to bat there. He possesses solid technique and is a good partnership builder and he can also play a lot of big shots when needed and is a balanced option for India. He is a handy medium pacer who can do well in England.

Hardik Pandya got into trouble with his comments on a TV show and his return to the Indian team will be a welcome relief for the selectors. Pandya is the biggest impact player in the side and is a proven partnership breaker with the ball. He is a tremendous striker of the ball and can give India a powerful finish to their innings. He will round off a very strong and balanced batting unit.

Spinner - Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep has been India's go-to bowler in the middle overs.

Kuldeep Yadav has been one of Kohli's main weapons and has been a pivotal figure in the Indian setup. The left-arm chinaman bowler has turned into one of India's biggest assets and will be the first-choice pick for the spinner's slot in the side.

While India can go with 2 spinners, the prospect of the ball turning for wrist spinners is pretty low and a pace bowling option will be preferred. He has been in great form against all opponents and will cause problems for the opposition batsmen.

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Pace Bowlers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah

Bhuvi(C) and Bumrah(R) have formed a lethal pace bowling combination

India's pace bowling trio have pretty much sealed their spots in the playing XI and will be the cog around which India's campaign will revolve around.

Bhuvi is a bowler who hasn't been in great form of late. He is struggling to bowl at the death, which was one of his primary skills and will look to work on that ahead of the World Cup. He'll, however, be boosted by the conditions in England and he will get a lot of swing with the new ball and a couple of early wickets can really get him going. India will ride on his effort with the new ball.

Mohammed Shami has taken his chance to come back into the team and has become India's biggest positive ahead of the World Cup. He has been producing an inspired bowling performance and has garnered a lot of pace and movement off the wicket. He has bowled really good at the death and this will take a lot of pressure off of Jasprit Bumrah.

Jasprit Bumrah will be India's X-Factor at the World Cup. The world's No.1 ODI bowler, Bumrah's rise to the top of the rankings has been tremendous to watch. He has made an instant impact whenever he has got the ball in hand and has been unplayable during the death overs. He is the primary reason why India's pace attack is one of the best in the tournament.