ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 : Strongest Indian Playing XI
With only a few months left for the much-awaited ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which is scheduled to be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board from May 30 till July 14. All the teams are busy in figuring out their perfect combinations for the all-important tournament. As a result they were seen tickling with their playing XI's in the last few months and Men in Blue were no different.
Kohli's men were seen adopting the rotation policy to attain the perfect balance and also keep their key players fit for the pinnacle event. As a result, we've seen few key players like Jasprit Bumrah being rested for New Zealand series, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar for Windies ODIs and even skipper Kohli was rested for Asia Cup and T20 series against Windies.
While there were many players, who were seen batting at different positions like MS Dhoni, who usually bats at number six was seen batting at number five (first two ODIs) and number four (third ODI) against Australia.
But now we've reached the phase when a team must pen down their possible squad's and playing XI's for the premier championship. So, without much ado, Let's have a look on India's strongest playing XI for CWC 2019.
Top Order
#1 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has been in terrific touch in recent times and was on the second position behind skipper Virat Kohli to hit most runs in 2018. The opener amassed 1030 runs in 2018 at an average of 73.57 and started 2019 with a bang against Aussies.
The right-hander's consistency and his average strike rate of 101 (since January 2018) puts him among the most destructive openers of current times. His performance will be crucial for India's chances during the pioneer event, and he is likely to open the batting for the team.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
The man for the big stage, Shikhar Dhawan is known for leveling up his performance during multinational events, evident by the fact that, he was India's best batsmen during ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, with 412 runs in eight games.
While also topped the overall batting charts during ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and Asia Cup 2018 with 338 and 342 runs in five games edging out his nearest competitor and opening partner Rohit Sharma (304 and 317 runs) on both occasions by 34 and 25 runs respectively. This makes him man to bid for during CWC 2019 and he is the perfect contender to open the batting with Rohit.
#3 Virat Kohli (Captain)
Another name of consistency, Virat Kohli is among the most consistent run scorers of the current era. There are quite rare chances when the Indian skipper doesn't find his name among runs and it was his consistency that made him bag five prestigious ICC awards for his performances in 2018.
His batting average of 133 (since January 2018) is enough to underline his capabilities and worth for Men in Blue. The way he is playing at the moment, the skipper is no less than nemesis for his opponents during CWC19.