5 candidates for India's sixth bowler spot at World Cup 2019
If there's one thing that is different between the current Indian ODI team and the victorious team of the 2011 World Cup, it is the number of bowling options that India enjoyed. In 2011, the batsmen gave the cushion of 6-8 overs to MS Dhoni as and when asked for. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and even Yusuf Pathan regularly rolled over their arms to sneak in an over or two for their captain.
But the current Indian team lacks batsmen who can bowl a bit and ease the burden of a bowler who's having a rough day. Although in the top four India lack those part-time bowling options, they can surely try a few in the lower order.
Here are the five best candidates for the sixth bowler spot at the 2019 World Cup:
#1. Suresh Raina
A hard-hitting all-rounder, Suresh Raina is going through a rough patch with his cricketing career. He played a few matches against England this year, but failed to impress on his comeback, which again resulted in his axing from the team.
Having played an important role in the victorious 2011 World Cup campaign and the 2015 World Cup semifinal run, Raina could well be considered in the scheme of things for the 2019 World Cup.
He has been a hard hitting finisher for the team and has a lot of experience that can come in handy. With his agility in the field, he is arguably one of the best fielders India has.
Raina has also sneaked in a few overs as and when asked for, which helped the Indian team in the last two World Cups. He has been very handy with the ball and can be the sixth bowling option India is looking for.
With his all-round skills and abilities, Raina can be a great asset to this Indian team.