Cricket World Cup 2019: India preview, likely starting XI: Can Kohli’s India come good in all-important World Cup?

India are, quite simply, one of the favourites to life the World Cup 2019 trophy. They are ranked second in the ODI rankings, and boast an experienced side brimming with quality – it’ll take a particularly poor day to see them knocked out of the tournament.

India’s strength is varied, but predominantly, it’s the top three batsmen – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, who will dictate whether India dominate or fight. Kohli and Rohit are the top two batsmen in the ODI rankings, and when they fire, there are few teams who can withstand their onslaught.

Then there is Jasprit Bumrah, perhaps the single most important cog in this Indian setup. His ability to take wickets, bowl at unmatchable pace, and contain runs all make for a deadly package that even the best batsmen the world over have struggled to break. So long as Bumrah is fit and firing, India will back themselves to win the title.

India’s only area of concern is in the middle order. The identity of the batsman who will fill the No. 4 position remains a mystery. There are many contenders, and the selectors have an unenviable job. Vijay Shankar was touted for the role when the 15-man squad was being announced, but KL Rahul seems the prime candidate at the moment, following his century in the warm-up against Bangladesh.

India will be there or thereabouts, come end of the tournament.

Key players

Jasprit Bumrah: Bumrah is perhaps even more key to India’s hopes than the enigmatic Virat Kohli. The sheer accuracy he exhibits in the death overs will be key for India to contain runs on batting-friendly surfaces in England and Wales. His form bodes well for the team, given he picked up 19 wickets at 21.52 in the IPL.

Virat Kohli: The India captain is arguably the best batsman currently plying his trade. Naturally, he’ll be crucial to his team’s hopes of winning the tournament. Almost every side will place a target on his head, but Kohli will not only have to see them off – as he has done countless times in his career – he will also have to be shrewd as captain to give India their best chance. This should be interesting.

Hardik Pandya: The all-rounder has come back strongly following off-field controversies earlier in the year, and narrowly missed out on being named MVP of the IPL despite claiming 14 wickets and hammering 402 runs in the season. There’s a fire about him and he’ll look to prove his doubters wrong this tournament.

Squad: Virat Kohli (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.

Likely XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

Prediction

No. 2 – India are one of the favourites for the trophy, but England may just have a little too much firepower for their liking.