CWC 2019: Five Indian players who will be crucial to the team's chances
The 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup is just weeks away, and we are into the business end of the tournament, witnessing some of the best on-field cricketing action. Most of the Indian hopefuls for the World Cup spot are in decent touch, and the fans would hope individuals like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav come back to their usual self.
The biggest talking points are the inclusions of Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar over Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu. There has been a lot of talk regarding the No.4 spot for India. It is clear that Shankar has made that spot his own. KL Rahul is the back-up opener, and Dinesh Karthik is the reserve keeper.
India will go into the tournament in search of their third title, and their first since 2011.
India Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Yuzuvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, and Kedar Jadhav.
Here are five Indian cricketers who will be crucial to the team's chances at the ICC World Cup 2019.
#5 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most prolific batsmen for India since the 2013 Champions Trophy. He became the fastest Indian to reach the 1000 run mark in ODIs, and has never looked back since then.
'Gabbar' had a good World Cup the last around in 2015. In fact, Dhawan has been phenomenal whenever he is playing a big tournament, be it the Champions Trophy, the Asia Cup, or the World Cup for that matter.
Dhawan is certainly a big match player, and the Indians will hope that he will be delivering this time around too. He has a good ODI record in England and will look to improve upon the record further.
Having struck a purple patch in the IPL, Dhawan will certainly be crucial to to India's chances at the World Cup.