World Cup 2019: 3 areas where the 2011 Indian squad had an edge over 2019 Indian squad

Team experience

Indian squad from 2011 was full of experienced players

The 2011 team consisted of a few big boys such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and Zaheer Khan. Even though senior players can often be seen with disgruntle as they are not the swiftest and sharpest on their feet in the field, senior players bring valuable experience when things don’t go right.

Who can forget the reverse swing and crucial wickets Zaheer Khan brought with the old ball just before the 34th over ball change in the 2011 World Cup, the crucial knock by Gautam Gambhir in the final, and the Raina-Yuvraj partnership in the quarter-finals? Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar provided crucial starts in almost every match and seldom got out cheaply or while playing shots under pressure. The seniors of the squad did their bit and held the team together when required.

The current squad certainly lacks experience. Crucial players in the Indian team like Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, and KL Rahul are playing their first ever World cup. In crucial instances, talent and exuberance can take the back seat and experience and composure can guide a player ahead. It will be a golden opportunity for these youngsters to go ahead and make their mark in their first World Cup itself. But it will certainly be tricky for Virat Kohli to manage this talent-rich yet largely inexperienced squad in the World Cup.

During the ICC Champions Trophy Finals in 2017, we saw the Indian batting line up shatter in front of the lethal Pakistan bowling. India's performances during high-pressure matches in the ICC tournaments recently have been largely disappointing due to players faltering on the big stage and committing some grave mistakes. This was evident in India's loss to Australia in the 2015 World Cup semi-final, India's loss to West Indies in the 2016 World T20 semi-final, and India's loss to Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final.