ICC World Cup 2015: 5 things India could have done differently

Yes, the World Cup dream for India didn’t go the way it was planned, and the cup was taken away by Australia. The defending champions swept all before them until they came across the side that have been a thorn in their flesh over the last few months.The what ifs never go away though. Here, we take a look at five things that Team India could have done differently during their World Cup campaign which ended when they lost their semi-final clash against Australia by 95 runs:

#1 MS Dhoni at No. 5

The Indian captain, who is the team's go-to man in pressure chases, might have come out to bat a tad late against Australia on Thursday. With Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma back in the pavilion, the moment required the brilliance of two of India's greatest chasers to bail the team out. With Virat Kohli failing, the calm head of MS Dhoni in the middle was paramount.

Dhoni, who is famous for his heroics at No. 5 in the World Cup final of 2011, where he didn't hesitate to bat before the in-form Yuvraj Singh, fares superbly at three down. In the 56 matches he has played at number 5, the wicket-keeper has scored 2069 runs at an average of 54.44, with the highest score being 124.

In winning causes, his average increases to 67 in 31 games. Furthermore, while batting at No. 5 in successful run chases, he has a staggering average of 127.25 in 14 innings and one is only left to ponder why he chose to bat at No. 6 in a stiff run chase.