India is one of the favorites to win the world cup 2019, but it’s very hard decision to choose the best eleven out of 15 player squad. As England has two summer. The first summer is different from the second and crucial to choose the best eleven particularly for first summer. Tomorrow, India is going to play their first match of the tournament. Though, India looks pretty much good but still it has some missing links.
Top order must obviously perform for any team. Particularly for India, the team is mostly dependent on the first 3 players. But, team needs to have the balanced team, which includes best top order with pretty good middle order as well. It’s almost decided the top order as well the 5th and 6th position for India, but the number 4 position is still dicey. Whether India should go with KL Rahul or V Shankar.
KL Rahul showed some confidence in the warm match. On the other hand V Shankar missed his chance, but still I go for V Shankar, as KL Rahul is actually an opener, if he is included in the team for the 4th position. In that case, he needs to change his natural play. Moreover, if top 3 guns will fire then India almost has to play with 10 players only. On the other hand V shankar is actually a middle order player. As well, he has ability to be steady and provides support to Kohli or Dhoni, what they actually need, which we already saw in the past.
Moreover he can bowl too, particularly in the english condition, and additionally, in the first half of the summer, which usually support the swinging condition. K Jadhav is definitely needed not just in the middle order but also in the situation, where India needs a breakthrough. He has ability to bowl off spin as well as the cross hand.
Today’s english pitch are supporting fully for batting, so team should not ignore the lower order. In fact India faced the same situation in the 2018 series, particularly in the 2nd ODI at lord’s, where India had batting upto the 7th position. From 8th onwards the players were Chahal, K Yadav, U Yadav and M Shami, except K Yadav. None of them could be consider even the lower order, and K Yadav couldn’t be considered the lower order batsman, but he could be considered as the 9th position batsman. Southampton is fully batting pitch. So, I would like to for B Kumar instead of M Shami, as tomorrow’s weather shows the cloudy, in the bowling department. As Shami, whose strength is seam and Kumar, whose strength is swing, both could be valuable. In terms of the 8th position, as lower order batsman, B Kumar is more suitable.
If team has something in lower order then pressure on the middle order could be somewhat less. R Jadeja could be more helpful in the second half of the tournament. But again there is a missing link, as if second half will be supported the spinners, then India should not replace R Jadeja with H Pandya. In that case, India may need to compromise with B Kumar. In that case, who will open in the bowling, but it will be for later part of the tournament. Anyways as I mentioned, India has some missing links,
KL Rahul is in form, but V Shankar provide some help in bowling. Moreover in which position KL Rahul is sent, if he can find some place in the eleven.
If R Jadeja will be helpful and needs to add in the first eleven then who can empty the slot for R Jadeja
In case, any pacer would replace R Jadeja, particularly B Kumar then who will open in the bowling
If KL Rahul will find a place in the first eleven then except the 5 bowler, and K Jadhav, who will take care of the part time bowling responsibility, V Kohli (off spin) or R Sharma.
Part timers are definitely helpful in today’s english condition. We already saw in the warm matches that England’s J Root was bowling. India should learn from their history. India used to play with only four bowlers. 5th bowler’s quota was done by the part timers like, Sehwag, Sachin, Ganguly, Yuvraj and some times D Mongia, R Gavaskar, S Sriram, H Badani, but India lost that and now the scenario is except K Jadhav, India don’t have any breakthrough bowler. R Sharma did that but he stopped bowling after his shoulder injury and never bowled since Jan 2016.
anyways, My first and best eleven for tomorrow’s match will be,
R Sharma, S Dhavan, V Kohli, V Shankar, MS Dhoni, K Jadhav, H Pandya, B Kumar, K Yadav, Y Chahal, J Bumrah.
