One player from each team India needs to watch out for during 2019 Cricket World Cup

The Men in Blue will be entering the World Cup with an extremely strong contingent. Many experts have deemed India as the favourites to lift the trophy at the 2019 World Cup.

A lot is at stake during cricket's most prestigious tournament. Teams leave no stone unturned to bring out their best at the big stage. The margin for error is minuscule.

The single team round-robin format has also been reintroduced after a gap of 27 years. This implies that each team will play the other team once and play 9 matches during the group stage.

In such a scenario, studying the current generation of players in opposition teams is of paramount importance for every nation. These are the in-form players who are expected to make a huge impact during the World Cup and it is important for a team to learn how to tackle them.

There is at least one player in all 10 teams who stands out from the rest. For example - Virat Kohli of India. In this article, we will take a look at one player from each team the Men in Blue will need to watch out for during the 2019 World Cup.

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#1 Steve Smith (Australia)

Steve Smith

Nothing has gone Steve Smith's way in the past one year. The Sydney-born player was slapped a one-year ban by Cricket Australia following the ball-tampering incident against South Africa.

The former Australia skipper was recently seen playing for the Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League. However, a sore elbow forced him to return home to get a checkup. Smith had to get a surgery done and will be sidelined for at least 6 weeks before the rehabilitation process can commence.

With his ban being lifted two months prior to the World Cup, Smith will be rearing to get as much game time he can.

The 29-year-old has had a fantastic career so far. He has amassed 6199 runs in 64 Tests at an average of 61.38. The right-handed batsman has also accumulated 3431 runs in the 108 ODIs he has played.

A desire to prove a point and a chance of redemption -- the 2019 World Cup presents both these opportunities to Smith. This is what makes him such a dangerous player and India must watch out for him.

Smith also possesses a brilliant record against India. He has scored 609 runs in the 14 ODI matches played against the Men in Blue at an average of 50.75.

#2 Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

Kane Williamson during New Zealand v India - ODI Game 1

India will need to keep a close eye on New Zealand's talismanic skipper -- Kane Williamson. The Kiwi player has a lot of experience under his belly. He is also in superb form and scored 2 fifties in the 3 ODIs he played against Sri Lanka. Prior to that, the Top-order batsman had amassed 527 runs in the 5 Test matches -- 2 of which were against Sri Lanka and 3 against Pakistan.

India will be squaring off against New Zealand in 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is starting 23 January 2019. This presents the Indian team management the opportunity to study Kane's game intricately as he is a vital cog in the team.

The skipper steadied the ship against India in the first ODI match and scored 64 off 81. The Blackcaps could only post 157 on board and were bowled out in 38 overs. The match was reduced to 49 overs due to poor sunlight and India chased down the new target of 156 in 34.5 overs for the loss of two wickets.

Williamson has an illustrious career. The 28-year-old has scored 5865 runs in 70 Tests at an average of 51.45 and amassed 5381 runs in 133 ODIs at an average of 46.39. He is currently New Zealand's 6th highest run-getter of all time. The Men in Blue will be wary of one of the finest batsmen of the modern cricket era. Williamson has scored 797 runs in 19 ODI matches against the Men in Blue at an average of 41.94.

#3 Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Hashim Amla in action during South Africa v Pakistan - 2nd Momentum One Day International

Hashim Mohammad Amla will most likely be playing his last World Cup in 2019. The Durban-born player has amassed 7812 runs in the 171 ODIs he has played. Amla is also amongst the select group of players who has a batting average of over 50 in ODIs. The veteran Top-order batsman is South Africa's 4th highest run-getter of all time. He has also scored the most number of centuries (27) for The Proteas in ODIs.

The elegant stroke maker is still one of the most prolific batsmen in the 50-over format. The Durban man can cause a lot of problems for the opposition teams and India will be watching him closely. Amla promises to bring stability to the side and will try to make his experience count to relieve South Africa of their 'chokers' tag. Amla has amassed 932 runs in the 25 ODI matches played against India.

#4 Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

Angelo Mathews

The experienced Lankan all-rounder is a vital part of the team. Mathews missed out on the three ODIs and solitary T20I Sri Lanka played against New Zealand recently. He had been ruled out due to a grade two strain in his hamstring.

However, the veteran all-rounder was Sri Lanka's best batsman in the two Tests against the Kiwis as he amassed 258 runs. The Colombo-born player is expected to be fit again ahead of their tour of South Africa.

Mathews is in the twilight of his career and would want to end it with a bang. A big stage such as the World Cup is precisely what he requires to prove his mettle to the World. The batting allrounder has made 5380 runs in the 203 ODIs he has played for the national team at a commendable average of 42.36.

He is also an effective Right-arm fast-medium bowler and has 114 ODI wickets to his name. Statistics reveal that Mathews loves to play against India. In the 39 matches against the Men in Blue, the Lankan allrounder scored 1280 at an average of 51.20 and strike rate of 84.66.

#5 Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

Rashid Khan plays for Adelaide Strikers in the BBL

Nangarhar-born Rashid Khan has become a renowned cricketer at the age of just 20. The Legbreak bowler will provide the x-factor for Afghanistan.

He has mastered the googly and foxed even some of the finest batsmen with his bowling. Rashid has clinched 118 wickets in 51 ODIs at a brilliant strike rate of 22.23 and a stunning economy rate of 3.91.

The youngster is also making an effort to work on his batting skills and develop himself into a potent all-rounder. He has amassed 676 runs in ODIs at an average of 21.81.

Rashid is currently playing for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash league and has 13 scalps in 9 matches. He will be playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming season of IPL. The charismatic player is expected to make a huge impact during the World Cup as well and the Men in Blue will need to watch his performances closely.

#6 Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)

Shoaib Malik is known to play some classy knocks and steady the ship for Pakistan when they are in trouble.

Pakistan's Shoaib Malik may hang his boots after the 2019 World Cup. The 36-year-old batting allrounder has a brilliant ODI career. He has amassed 7317 runs at an average of 35.18 and also picked up 156 wickets in the 276 ODIs played for the national team.

The Sialkot-born player favours India as an opponent. In the 41 ODI matches played against the Men in Blue, Malik scored 1782 runs at a brilliant average of 48.16. He has also clinched 22 wickets against India.

India will need to be wary of his batting prowess and ability to grasp wickets every now and then. Although his recent form has not been the best, Malik has plenty of time to regain the magic touch before the World Cup. He is currently part of Pakistan's team on tour of South Africa.

#7 Joe Root (England)

Joe Root plays football as part of warming up

28-year-old Joe Root has had a meteoric rise in his career. He is currently ranked the 4th best ODI batsman in the world (as per the ICC rankings).

The Sheffield-born player has played 121 ODIs in which he has scored 4946 runs at an average of 51.52 and strike rate 86.44. His performance against India is also noteworthy. In the 15 innings Root batted in against the Men in Blue, he amassed 684 runs at an average of 57 and strike rate 85.07.

Root will be looking to come out all guns blazing at the 2019 World Cup as becoming the captain of the English side in the shorter formats will also be playing on his mind. He is currently the full-time Test captain of England -- a responsibility he was handed after the resignation of Alastair Cook.

#8 Shimron Hetmyer (West Indies)

Shimron Hetmyer (left) during a nets session

Shimron does not have a lot of experience under his belt but he is an extremely promising youngster. The 22-year-old top order batsman has played just 20 ODIs so far. He has amassed an overall 758 runs at an average of 37.90. A blistering strike rate of 106.91 is what makes him such a special talent.

The Guyana-born player enjoys playing against India as well. In the 5 ODI matches against the Men in Blue, Hetmyer has scored 259 runs at an average of 51.80 and an outstanding strike rate of 140.00.

Shimron was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping Rs. 4.20 crores at the IPL auction. The onus will now lie on him to justify his high price tag. He is one of the 5 Windies players who can make a major impact in the IPL.

#9 Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh)

Mushfiqur Rahim in action during the 1st Momentum ODI between South Africa v Bangladesh

Mushfiqur Rahim is one of Bangladesh's most experienced players. The wicketkeeper-batsman has amassed an overall 604 runs in 20 innings against India. Having played 199 ODI matches, Rahim is 2nd on the list of most career appearances for Bangladesh behind Mashrafe Mortaza. Rahim has scored overall 5346 runs in ODIs at an average of 34.71.

The Bogra-born player is currently playing for Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League and has scored 2 fifties in the previous 3 matches.

Rahim is known to perform well in big tournaments and is also razor sharp behind the stumps. He is an integral player for The Lions and will look to make an impact in the upcoming World Cup.

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Which other players do you think can be a threat for India at the World Cup? Do share your opinions in the comments section below.