ICC World Cup 2019: India still have a few concerns ahead of the mega event
From the looks of things, Team India seems to be fully prepared for the prestigious ICC World Cup 2019. Over the past few years, Virat Kohli and Co have worked immensely hard and have managed to successfully tick almost all the boxes needed for a good outing.
However, there are still few areas of concern that might just haunt them at the biggest cricketing event this summer.
Seeing India’s top 3 – ‘Hit-Man’ Rohit Sharma, ‘flamboyant’ hiker Dhawan and ‘King’ Virat Kohli - dominating world cricket has undoubtedly been an incredible sight to watch. However, almost every time the ball has swung, it has created inroads quite easily.
Although England has been producing flat decks lately, there could possibly be a few pitches where the ball moves around a bit. The Top 3 need to be ready to play the opening spell with patience and grit to give the team a solid start.
Also, the excellence at the top has given very few opportunities to the middle order to gain some valuable experience in the middle. And when every now and then the opportunity has eventually knocked on the door, the middle order has looked a little rusty.
Considering the hectic schedule of the team, the BCCI has wisely been resting and rotating players around regularly. But the fact that India has been playing consistently without any major break, and will also play a long IPL just before the ICC World Cup, there is a good chance of injuries afflicting key players.
Very recently, Hardik Pandya collapsed on the field, Virat Kohli was sidelined with lower back pain, and MS Dhoni was out with a hamstring. Any such unfortunate event can have a massive bearing on India’s winning aspirations.
Over the past few years, India has been consistently winning almost every single assignment, both home and away, against every opponent. However, that could very well work against them. The recent success might induce a sense of complacency and make the players go lax at the all-important World Cup.
Finally, every team brings out its best at this event, and performs very differently than any other tournament. Therefore, Team India should be wary of their opponents despite their recent success against them.
Should Team India successfully guard against these concerns, they look rock solid and ready to bring back the World Cup to India.