World Cup 2019: 3 reasons why India are the team to beat in this tournament
India sealed their fifth win of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 by defeating the West Indies by 125 runs at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday which saw them remain the only unbeaten side in the tournament.
Virat Kohli's men have been ruthless and shown the world why they are world number one at the moment. They have excelled in all three departments and put to rest all the questions asked of them by pundits before the competition began.
A lot of factors have played a part in India being the best side in the World Cup so far. We pick out three of them which show why they are the team to beat in this World Cup.
#1 Best fielding side in the tournament
India are, by far, the best fielding side in the tournament. Players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja are some of the best fielders in the world at the moment and that has certainly rubbed off on the others in the team. Credit must be given to fielding coach R.Sridhar too, who has brought in new drills and techniques to help the team prepare for the challenges they face on the ground.
India seldom drop catches these days and they are very sharp when it comes to run out opportunities. This is one of the main reasons why they have been so successful in the limited-overs format and more so, in the World Cup.
#2 Captain leading from the front
Captain Virat Kohli scaled another peak when he reached twenty thousand international runs in his career during his 82-ball 72 against the West Indies at Old Trafford on Thursday. Kohli is a run machine who is high on unstoppable in limited overs cricket.
The Indian skipper has scores of 18, 82, 77, 67 and 72 in this tournament thus far and his golden run has infused confidence into the team as a whole.
A captain who can lead from the front with his own performances will always command respect in the dressing room and this is exactly what has happened with Kohli and India. India are a much more confident side with Kohli at the helm.
#3 Fantastic bowling unit
Another reason why India are the best team in this World Cup is because of their superior bowling resources. Even though Bhuvneshwar Kumar has missed games due to injury, his replacement Mohammed Shami has dazzled with eight wickets from two games. The two wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been very good in the middle overs too.
Then comes the leader of the bowling unit. What is there to say about Jasprit Bumrah? The best One-Day bowler in the world at the moment is threatening both during the initial overs and later on at the death. The Gujarat fast bowler has matured tremendously and his efficiency will be key to India's campaign.
Also read - World cup all time records
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