3 reasons why India might and might not win the 2019 World Cup
After England, India is the second-ranked team in ODI and like the hosts, they are one of the favorites for the upcoming World Cup. In 2015, they came into the tournament as the reigning champions and were knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual Champions, Australia. India has managed to win the World Cup twice, the first when they knocked off the West Indies in 1983 and the second in 2011.
Heading into the 2019 World Cup, India has selected a 15-man squad with 7 players who played in the 2015 World Cup. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan played in the last tournament, as did Kohli, Dhoni with Kohli taking the mantle of captaincy. All-rounder Jadeja was also a part of India's 2015 World Cup squad. Bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami also went with the Indian squad to Australia.
This time around, with half the squad having an extra 4 years of International experience under their belt, coupled with talented fresh blood like KL Rahul. India seems like they are set in the right position to strike.
However, there are numerous factors that they will have to get past in order to succeed, while India is one of the favorites, they will still have to contend with the top favourites, England, playing on home soil.
This World Cup is likely to be the last for many of India's aging superstars. As Kohli, Sharma, Dhawan, Dhoni, Jadhav, Karthik, and Jadeja are all over 30, and with the exception of Kohli and Jadeja, they will all be at least 36 by the time the 2023 World Cup in India rolls around.
In preparation for the World Cup, India has played a substantial amount of one-day games. Starting from the 2017 Champions Trophy, India have played 59 ODI matches with a record of 45 wins and 11 losses.
To see why England may or may not win the world cup click here.
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