The Road Ahead: India’s Best Men for the 2019 World Cup
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England & Wales has already generated criticism from many quarters for restricting the scope of the growth of the game to a wider world and for curtailing the participation of the Associate Member nations, at a time when other major team sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup are looking to expand the influence of the game and expand the tournament to include more countries. But for India, the 2019 World Cup would mark the end of many careers and also spark off a new period for this side. So, in this article, I would be attempting to discuss and analyse who are the players who should make the cut in the final squad and who would be missing out. Please do bear in mind that this is mere speculation and does not have any bearing on the final squad that would be chosen by the selectors and that it’s a novice but a passionate cricket fan who is behind this article and not an experienced analyst.
With the disclaimers out of the way, please read on and start discussing it amongst your buddies.
On the Plane: -
· Virat Kohli (Captain): - Already ranked as one of the game’s greats, the 29-year old Indian captain has become India’s pillar of hope with his remarkably consistent appetite for excellence as a batsman and has been setting benchmarks so high that the chasing pack is getting left far behind. If India is to win the World Cup, then Captain Kohli will be the man whom all eyes would be focussed on.
· Rohit Sharma: - The only player to have scored 3 double-centuries in ODI cricket is also the vice-captain of the side. The “Hitman” Sharma has experienced a re-birth as a player since being pushed up as an opener in 2013 and his performances since then have been nothing short of phenomenal. If he gets a good start, then there is no guaranteeing the amount of runs he will plunder on the day as he can accelerate his innings at an astounding pace. If only he can work out his woes against leg-spin...but importantly, his leadership in the Asia Cup has given plenty of food for thought for considering him as a more durable and proactive ODI captain.
· Shikhar Dhawan: - “Gabbar” Dhawan exploded onto national consciousness after his sensational debut test hundred against Australia in 2013 and carried on his form into the 2013 Champions Trophy. Despite question marks hanging on his red-ball form, he’s not shown any let-up in his ODI form. His track record in ICC tournaments speaks volumes about his ability to step-up as a big-tournament player. If he fires off from the start and has played around 7-8 overs of the Indian innings, then stopping him will take some doing.
· K. L. Rahul: - Rahul slots into this team as a back-up opener/top order batsman, though calls have been made to have him be a regular in the playing XI, and it’s not hard to see why. The Karnataka batsman has displayed on numerous occasions, the talent that he possesses and the brilliant timer of a cricket ball that he is. But breaking into the already settled top 3 would be extremely difficult for him and his trial at the no.4 position too hasn’t yielded encouraging results. But there’s no doubt that if given a chance, he will cash on it with both hands.
· M.S. Dhoni: - There have been a number of discussions on every possible forum about the utility that Dhoni brings to the team now (except on making the call for opting for a DRS referral, which he is an undisputed master of, the calmness he brings to Captain Kohli’s aggressiveness on field and the assurity he brings with his wicket-keeping). Amidst concerns of his patchy form and declining prowess as the premier finisher of the team, he would be looking at the World Cup as a possible farewell to international cricket and what better way would it be to see him go out with another World Cup title after having led the team to victory in the 2011 edition.
· Hardik Pandya: - The all-rounder has often divided the critics sharply since the time he has broken into the Indian team, with many often questioning his utility to the team or praising his precocious talent in all departments of the game. Pandya, since his international debut, has been seen as the possible answer to India’s long-standing demand of a pace-bowling all-rounder and his ability to hit the deck hard at around 140 kph, his power-hitting abilities with the bat certainly lends credence to this question and his prowess as a fielder in the deep makes him a real deal. His bowling has improved over the last few months and India would be hoping that Pandya is at the top of his game when the World Cup kicks off.
· Bhuvaneshwar Kumar: - The Meerut-born lad is now a senior pro of the team despite only making his debut in 2012 and is now regarded as one of the best exponents of swing bowling in the world, which would be extremely critical in the English conditions. Bhuvi has also added a yard of pace and crafty variations such as the “Knuckleball” to his innate ability to swing the new ball and has become one of the better death-overs bowlers in limited-overs cricket. His safe and reliable batting ability down the order also makes his presence to the team extremely vital. India would do well to preserve him and manage him carefully before the World Cup.
· Jasprit Bumrah: - The rise of Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the best things to happen to Indian cricket and the scouting team of the Mumbai Indians surely deserve a pat on their back for discovering this pacer. Bumrah’s unorthodox action and the ability to deliver yorkers at will has quickly seen him become one of the premier death-overs specialists in limited overs cricket today and has seamlessly moulded himself to test cricket as well, with 5-wicket hauls in South Africa and England already in his kitty. Keeping Bumrah injury-free would be the main task for the team management as he is the most critical to their bowling attack.
· Yuzvendra Chahal: - The defeat in the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the negligible impact of the Ashwin-Jadeja duo saw India turn to wrist spin as an impact weapon in ODI cricket and with it, we saw the rise of Yuzvendra Chahal as one of the best leg-spinners in limited overs cricket presently. A consistent performer in the IPL for RCB saw him earn a recall in the ODI team for their Sri Lanka tour last year after making his debut in Zimbabwe in 2016 and since then, he’s become a critical part to Virat Kohli’s bowling plans. Despite not being a massive spinner of the ball, his accuracy and the willingness to flight the ball has made him one-half of India’s deadly wrist-spin duo “KulCha” and also, one of the best that there is presently in his craft.
· Kuldeep Yadav: - The other-half of the duo is a practitioner of an art that not a lot of people have faced before. The 23-year old left-arm Chinaman spinner from Kanpur has made some of the best batsmen around the world dance to his tunes since emerging in 2017. The novelty that he possesses as a left-arm chinaman spinner alone makes him an automatic consideration for the squad, but that is also backed up by his consistent performances over the past year, where he became only the third Indian bowler to take an ODI hat-trick and then also was a critical factor in India’s ODI series win in South Africa. India would be hoping that his mystery would continue to endure when the World Cup starts.
Waiting for the Boarding Pass: -
· Kedar Jadhav: - An extremely critical position for India is the no.6 position and Kedar Jadhav has not done his chances any harm since becoming a regular in the ODI team in 2016. Despite the fact that he has scored just over 800 runs in the 44 ODI’s he’s played, it’s critical to look at the situations where these runs have come, and this is where his game-awareness and grit comes to the fore. His barn-storming century against England at his home-ground of Pune last year is still fresh in everyone’s minds, but where he pinches ahead of the competition around him such as KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer and Ambati Rayudu is his ability to bowl his useful part-time off-spin, a skill that was discovered by M.S. Dhoni during the New Zealand series in 2016. His innocuous off-spin has become a useful partnership breaking weapon for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (as displayed in the Asia Cup), but importantly, his ability to float in the batting order between no.4 to no.7, the ability to keep the scoring rate moving quickly in the death overs and over and above all this, his tenacity to push himself beyond the barriers of injury gives him the edge over the others.
· Ambati Rayudu: - Rayudu is one of the few Indian batsmen who has an average of over 50 in ODIs and has been able to utilise whatever opportunities have come his way since his debut in 2013. A productive IPL this year for the Chennai Super Kings, where he was tried out as an opener saw him return into contention for the England ODI series, but missed it due to failing the “Yo-Yo” Test, but returned for the Asia Cup where he had a decent tournament with the bat, without setting the world alight as such, but his ability to play to the on-field situation and adjust his game accordingly makes him a very realistic candidate for the no. 4 spot in the side, as his performances in the series against West Indies showed. If he’s able to maintain his form in domestic cricket and whatever opportunities come his way with the Indian team, then he would mark himself in the race for a permanent spot in the hotly-contested and congested middle order.
· Rishabh Pant: - The 20-year-old explosive keeper-batsman from Delhi has been earmarked for a big career and he has shown glimpses of the outrageous talent that he possesses, in the limited opportunities that he’s had for India. His IPL form saw him make the cut for the England test series and a maiden hundred in the final test at The Oval made everyone sit-up and take note of his clean-striking ability. His power-hitting game in the middle order could be a critical ingredient for the Indian team to prosper in the middle overs of the game. An area where he does need to improve though is his wicket-keeping, which is still patchy. But he’s certainly a talent to look out for, as India look to zero down on a potential successor to MSD.
Waiting outside the airport: -
· Dinesh Karthik: - DK has never held a consistent place in the national side despite making his debut in 2004 and has always been on the cusp of a revolving door entry/exit. But his consistency in domestic cricket has seen the selectors back him relentlessly in the face of stiff competition from other wicket-keepers such as Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel or now Rishabh Pant. Karthik offers a valuable option for the team management at no.4 or even lower down and has a game that is malleable according to the situation that he faces during the course of a game, with his match-winning cameo in the Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh, or his performances in the T20s against West Indies and Australia being a valuable case-in-point. His pragmatic approach to batting and the positional flexibility that he offers gives him a valuable advantage over the others in competition with him, but converting the starts is the critical area of improvement for him.
· Ravindra Jadeja: - Fondly referred to as “Sir Jadeja”, he made a comeback to the Indian ODI team after a gap of 1 year as an injury replacement for Hardik Pandya in the recently-concluded Asia Cup and has marked himself out as a potential wildcard pick for the World Cup. His no-frills left-arm spin got him wickets and helped put a pause on the opposition’s run-rate while he still ranks as one of the best fielders in the team. His batting though leaves a few question marks, as he still hasn’t demonstrated the ability to finish a game off and has often buckled under a tense situation. For Jadeja to be considered for the World Cup squad, it would need him to retain his place in the side and perform at a much higher level with the bat in the opportunities that will come his way.
· Axar Patel: - Axar Patel is in the same boat as Jadeja, with a skill-set similar to that of Jadeja. In the opportunities that he has received, he has not disappointed with the ball, especially. His economical left-arm spin has often helped India put the brakes on the opposition during the middle overs phase and his fielding also does his credentials no harm. While he hasn’t received too many opportunities to bat, in the limited batting time that he has had, he’s shown flashes of the potential that he possesses with the bat. If India carries a third spinner to England next year, then it’s expected to be a straight shoot-off between Jadeja and Patel.
· Umesh Yadav: - Umesh Yadav has thrilled and disappointed Indian cricket fans in equal measure since his emergence. On one hand, his sheer pace and ability to swing the ball both directions at high speed has warmed the cockles of the hearts of many fans, but has been equally frustrating due to his repeated issues of bowling at least one boundary ball every over, which is a clear indication of his inconsistency in maintaining line and length. He’s more often-than-not ended up with expensive bowling figures in ODIs and a career economy of 6.01 runs/over in 75 ODIs is a major pointer in this regard. Coupled with his inability to bowl yorker-length deliveries in the death overs on a regular basis also is a major issue, which may see him lose out to the likes of Mohammad Shami, the young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed or even Siddarth Kaul.
· Mohammad Shami: - Shami, if records and performances are anything to go by, is one of the most natural ODI bowlers that India currently has in its arsenal. With the ability to hit the deck hard, swing the ball both ways at high speed and the ability to bowl yorkers at the death, he should be one of the first names to be considered for selection in the ODI team. But a combination of injuries, lack of variations and the good form of both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah has meant that Shami hasn’t got much of a look-in for the ODIs. He was one of the best bowlers on display in the 2015 World Cup, where he ended up as the second-highest wicket taker for India and fourth in the overall tally with 17 wickets, with his 4/35 against arch-rivals Pakistan being the highlight. If he can maintain his fitness levels as well as perform in the opportunities that come his way, then he should most certainly be considered for the final squad.
· Khaleel Ahmed: - The 20-year-old young left-arm pacer from Rajasthan is a greenhorn in international cricket, having made his debut in the Asia Cup in September 2018, but his promising performances in his two games in the tournament, coupled with his consistent performances for the India A team in the limited-overs games, has seen his name emerge from the cold. India haven’t seen a lot of left-arm pacers break through after the retirement of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, with Jaydev Unadkat and Barinder Sran coming-in and going-out of the team due to form and injury issues. But Khaleel’s potential is out there for everyone to see, which was further reflected in his showing in the ODI series against the West Indies. If he can further improve himself on India A tours, then, an entry into the World Cup squad isn’t really out of the question.
· Shardul Thakur: - The Mumbai pacer doesn’t have much in term of international experience, having played only a handful of ODIs and T20Is for India, but has been a regular member of the ODI set-up. His ability to hit the deck hard at speeds close to 140kph and the ability to bowl the knuckleball as a variation in the death overs makes him a useful back-up option to have for the team. His continued presence and familiarity with the Indian ODI squad would give him the edge over the likes of Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul, Deepak Chahar and the likes.
· Krunal Pandya: - Krunal Pandya, who also happens to be the elder brother of Hardik Pandya, is an outside shot for an inclusion in the scheme of things for the 2019 World Cup. Krunal’s name emerges in this discussion on account of the consistency that he’s displayed since his emergence in IPL 2016 and the following editions, where his all-round abilities has been on full display, be it his big-hitting prowess as a left-handed batsman, his safe, reliable and parsimonious left-arm spin and the athleticism he displays on the field. These performances have catapulted him into the India A team and he’s not done too badly for them either. While his relative lack of international experience goes against him, with only a handful of T20 Internationals to his name, but his performances have certainly warranted a discussion. The advantage that he can give to this team is his ability to float in the batting order from no.4 to no.7 and bowl his full quota of overs and keep the run-flow in check, but most importantly, he’s a player who doesn’t get flustered under pressure, as his performances in the IPL, especially the 2017 Final have shown. Krunal is certainly a player on whom the selectors would do well to clap an eyeball on and give him a go in this ODI squad.
· Vijay Shankar: - Vijay Shankar’s name on this list is one that certainly raises an eye, but it’s not without reason that his name is up for discussion in this article. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder gives India a valuable like-for-like back-up for Hardik Pandya, though he may not exude the same kind of dynamism that Hardik does. His batting is a mix of pragmatic play and power hitting and his List-A record of 1256 runs from 46 innings averaging close to 35 and a strike-rate over 90 is a reflection of this, while he remains a safe and effective right-arm medium pacer who can keep the opposition batsmen honest with his line-and-length stuff and is a reliable fielder. He remains a regular in the India A set-up and has consistently been turning out performances for them, especially in their recently concluded tour of New Zealand. He might not be selected eventually but the selectors should nevertheless keep track of his performances as a possible stand-in option for Hardik Pandya.
Plan for a Summer Break: -
· Ajinkya Rahane: - Known to his teammates as “Jinks”, Rahane now finds himself on the perimeter of the ODI side and possibly out of sight. If a player has played 90 ODIs but is yet to cross 3000 career runs and possesses a strike rate of below 80, both of which are true of Rahane, then finding a spot in the increasingly-competitive Indian ODI team is extremely difficult. With the old issue of him not being a good rotator of strike also counting against him as a middle-order option, he may not have a lot of time on him to prove his detractors wrong, especially with a route to the top order now firmly closed thanks to the presence of KL Rahul as the backup opener. With all these factors counting against him, he might as well start planning for a summer break.
· Manish Pandey: - Since his barnstorming century against Australia at Sydney a couple of years ago, Manish Pandey has hardly played a knock of substance that would keep him in consideration for a spot in the Indian ODI team and especially the highly-competitive middle order. While his fielding is still pretty good but his inability to convert starts puts him at a major disadvantage vis-à-vis the competition that is around him for the middle order spots.
· Suresh Raina: - Raina’s short-lived comeback to the ODI team for the series against England earlier this year was surprising to say the least and with disappointing performances in the three ODIs, it doesn’t seem like he would be in the hunt for a return to the side.
· R. Ashwin: - Ashwin’s days as being India’s primary spinner in the ODI squad have been ended by the advent and the subsequent good form of the wrist-spinning duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Mirroring the general decline in the importance of finger-spinners in limited overs cricket, Ashwin has found himself out of the side since the 2017 tour of West Indies and it doesn’t seem like he will be returning to the ODI setup anytime soon.
· Siddarth Kaul: - Kaul was a member of the India U-19 side which won the Under-19 World Cup in 2008 which had Virat Kohli as captain and the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Manish Pandey also graduating to playing for the senior national side, but Kaul came into prominence with his consistent performances for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, especially with his ability to bowl at the death overs. However, he’s not been able to make a great transition to the ODI format, where he’s yet to take a wicket in the 3 games that he’s played for India. Considering the traffic ahead of him, his chances of being a part of the World Cup squad look very bleak.
In contention for 2023: -
- Prithvi Shaw
- Mayank Agarwal
- Shubman Gill
- Anmolpreet Singh
- Shreyas Iyer
- Ishan Kishan
- Krunal Pandya/Anukul Roy
- Washington Sundar
- Prasidh Krishna
- Mohammad Siraj
- Kamlesh Nagarkoti
- Shivam Mavi
Thus, the final squad that India should pick for the 2019 World Cup should be (In my humble opinion): -
- Virat Kohli (captain)
- Rohit Sharma (vice-captain)
- Shikhar Dhawan
- M.S. Dhoni
- Hardik Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Kuldeep Yadav
- K.L. Rahul
- Kedar Jadhav
- Rishabh Pant/Dinesh Karthik (either 1 or neither)
- Ambati Rayudu/Manish Pandey (either 1)
- Shardul Thakur/Mohammad Shami (either 1)
- Umesh Yadav/ Khaleel Ahmed (either 1)
- Ravindra Jadeja/Axar Patel/Krunal Pandya (either 1)
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