5 Indians who could seal a World Cup spot with impressive performances in the England tour
The fever of Indian Premier League is over and it is time for the Indian team and its fans to concentrate on some real cricket. India will have an extremely testing year ahead with tours to England, Australia and New Zealand.
2018 might well be the year which defines what Indian cricket will be for the next decade or so, as all the important tours which test the temperament of Indian players are in line one after the other.
The Indian team has always performed poorly in these countries and it is therefore extremely important for the team to perform well, but what makes the next one year even more important is the 2019 World Cup, which will be held in June next year.
The team has some spots which have already been sealed by the players but there are other spots which are there for the taking and an impressive performance by some of the contenders in England might just seal those spots.
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik is one of the most talented players in India but he has always fallen short of expectations. He is an extremely gifted player and if he could become a permanent part of the Indian squad it would do a world of good for the Indian team.
Karthik has always possessed the talent but the area he has lacked is his temperament. He has worked on that area and the results have been stunning, to say the least. He has been in the form of his life for the last two years.
There are two spots in the Indian team which haven't been filled by any of the players. The number 4 and number 5 spots, which are unfilled in the Indian team, requires a player who has the ability to play both the sheet anchor role as well as the aggressor role depending on the situation, and in the current Indian set-up there is no player who can do that better than Dinesh.