ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Three Players to Watch out for India
Cricket Euphoria has reached its all-time high as fans around the world eagerly await the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup that will be played in England. The competition will begin from 30th May when England will lock horns with South Africa at The Oval.
All the teams have announced their squads for 2019 Cricket World Cup and are making adequate preparations for the mega event. The boards have started to organize training camps in order to make sure that players are mentally and physically fit for the Cricket World Cup.
A couple of weeks ago, BCCI announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming Cricket World Cup. The selection certainly surprised many as wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was left of the squad.
However, India will start as one of the favorites to win the World Cup besides Eoin Morgan’s England.The side has a blend of youth and experience and will be looking to help India clinch their third World Cup trophy.
Let’s take a look at the three players who will be crucial to India’s chances in the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Virat Kohli
For India to go all the way in this year’s competition, Kohli will need to produce something special with the bat. He is the best batsman in the world in limited-overs cricket at the moment and will be keen to showcase his batting dominance in this year’s competition.
Last year, Kohli managed to overcome the odds and scored heavily against England in a five-match Test series played in England. Since becoming the one-day captain, Kohli has produced mind-boggling numbers with the bat and scored 3273 runs in 51 matches at an average of 83.92. During this period, he has smashed 15 centuries for India.
Overall, Kohli has scored 10843 runs in 227 matches at an average of 59.57 with 41 centuries to his name. In England, he has scored 873 runs in 22 matches at an average of 54.56, which is certainly impressive numbers in these conditions.
He is currently the number one ranked player in limited-overs cricket and will be a serious contender for player of the tournament in this year’s World Cup.
Without a shadow of a doubt, India will be relying heavily on Kohli to do the bulk of the scoring in this year’s competition.
Jaspreet Bumrah
He is certainly premier bowler for India in limited-overs cricket and will lead India’s pace attack in the upcoming Cricket World Cup. Bumrah with Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be first-choice pace attack for India for this year’s competition.
The 25-year old has the ability to pick wickets with the new ball and bowl those deadly yorkers with pinpoint accuracy in the later stages of the game. With his extra pace and awkward action, Bumrah will certainly be one player to watch out for India in this year’s World Cup.
Since making his one-day debut for India in 2016, Bumrah has picked up 85 wickets in 49 matches at an average of 21.89. He has shown good form with the bat for Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Indian Premier League and picked up 17 wickets in 15 matches so far this season.
His ability to bowl well at the death overs for India could turn out to be a major difference in this year’s tournament.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni is the most experienced player included in India’s World Cup squad. The 37-year old will certainly be playing his last World Cup for India. Many cricket pundits believe that Dhoni will call time on his international career after the mega event.
Dhoni will be determined to do well with the bat and help India win the coveted prize for the third time. He has scored 10500 runs in 341 matches at an average of 50.71 with 10 centuries and 71 half-centuries to his name.
Former Indian Captain has shown good form with the bat for Chennai Super Kings in this year’s competition. He can certainly bat at any place in the batting order and can adapt to different situations for India in limited-overs cricket.
