Matches Virat Kohli Should Play (and Leave) Before World Cup 2019 - By Tournament

West Indies Tour of India - 2 Tests, 5 ODI's, 3 T20I's

Virat Kohli loves playing against the Windies, and many of his friends are from the Caribbean islands.

Though no international match can be taken for granted, India's home series against the West Indies is apparently the least challenging in this phase. The T20 World Champions managed to qualify for the 50-over World Cup next year by a narrow margin.

Including the World Cup Qualifiers, the Windies have had a mixed year overall - the home Test series against Bangladesh being their only saving grace. However, many talented players - such as Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, and Shanon Gabriel have finally come of age.

Chris Gayle has also changed his approach towards the 50-over game and is looking to bat long. West Indies, if anything, could be the surprise factor in next year's World Cup. But since the tournament is in India, and there is little India hasn't achieved against the Windies.

However, such a tournament would be a great opportunity to test India's bench strength before the World Cup and shortlist their Test squad before the Australian tour.

Matches that Virat Kohli Should Play: Out of a tour that would involve a maximum of 18 days of play, it would be an ideal mix for Virat Kohli to play for ten days. Since the Test series in Australia is important, he should play the Tests to build enough match practice for India's toughest tour in this phase.

It won't be a bad idea for Virat Kohli to play the two Test matches, and at least two T20's. Although ODI's look like the perfect balance for Virat right now, the shortest and longest format would give him just the practice he needs before the tournament.

An ideal combination would be:

2 Tests and 3 ODI's

OR

2 Tests and 2 T20I's

In any case, he shouldn't play all the full series in all the three formats.