ICC World Cup 2019: Potential answers to India's old and new muddles

Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya as the new finishers

Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya should be the designated new finishers

With Dhoni unlikely to play the role of the finisher any more, it is now time for Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya to don this role batting at No 6 and 7 respectively. Vijay Shankar too could come in handy in this role if the top 4 in the batting order have an extended stay at the wicket.

Kedar Jadhav is a street smart cricketer who is best suited for the role of the finisher if he gets some support from the other end. It should come from Hardik Pandya with his aggressive intent. Not to forget Bhuvneshwar Kumar who can stick around.

But it is the top 4 who should come good match after match if Kedar Jadhav and Pandya have any realistic chance of playing their roles as finishers. Though Jadhav has proved in the past that he could play long innings while chasing, the same thing can’t be said of Pandya.

Pandya could be an effective finisher if the target is in sight. At the same time, he can’t sustain his aggression over a longer period of time. But Pandya is an effective option while batting first.

Ravindra Jadeja as back up for the wrist-spinners

Jadeja - A steady option as a bowler

In the series against Australia, both Kuldeep and Chahal played together in only one match at Mohali. Both the wrist-spinners combined together gave away 144 runs in 20 overs for one wicket. A lot of that could be attributed to the dew factor and the missed stumping. In spite of all that, the one bowler that India missed the most at Mohali was Jadeja. Though Kuldeep was amongst the wickets in the series, he was not so dominant.

Jadeja is one bowler who could weave a web around the batsmen when they are confronted with a big total on the board. A steady bowling spell from Jadeja could have turned the tide in India’s favour at Mohali.

Before the Australian series started, there was enough debate as to whether Jadeja should be in the World Cup squad as the third spinner. Now the performances of the wrist-spinners made it necessary for Jadeja to be present in the World Cup squad as the backup spinner and the backup all-rounder and the first choice substitute fielder.