India Team Preview ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

 

Led by the charismatic Virat Kohli, India will head into the World Cup with a W/L ratio [2.074] second only to England’s [2.521] during the four-year cycle since the previous edition held in Australia & New Zealand.

Since Jan 2017, India has managed to win 43 out of 62 games played with a win-loss ratio of 2.687. The side has lost two bilateral one-day series during this period.

In the batting department, the side will be relying on the form of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli to do the bulk of the scoring. Since the 2015 World Cup, the men in blue have been heavily reliant on the top three as they have scored 42 centuries between them. Indian Captain Virat Kohli has topped the batting charts for the side and scored 4306 runs in 69 matches at an average of 78.29.

India’s over-dependence on the trio is largely due to their inability to find a competent No.4 batsman. Since the 2015 World Cup, the Men in Blue tried as many as 11 players for the job and after persisting with Ambati Rayudu for the longest period of time before dumping him in favor of Vijay Shankar after the former lost his form prior to the World Cup.

With the No.4 spot still a contentious one, the form of MS Dhoni will be very crucial for Team India in this World Cup. With the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya to follow, Dhoni can act as an anchor to the shenanigans of the all-rounders and the way he and the middle-order performs will certainly go on to define the campaign for Team India.

India World Cup Squad

Captain - Virat Kohli

Batsmen - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik

Virat Kohli will be looking to do well in this year’s World Cup. He has been a consistent performer for the side in the limited-overs cricket. Since World Cup 2015, Kohli has smashed 19 centuries for India in one-day internationals. Indian Captain will be keen to improve his numbers in this World Cup and score heavily with the bat in England.

All-rounders – Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Vijay Shankar

All-rounder Hardik Pandya is proven match-winner for India in limited-overs cricket. He has scored crucial half-centuries for the side in the 50-over format and has the ability to produce crucial breakthroughs in the middle phase of the innings. Pandya has taken 44 wickets in 45 matches at an average of 39.72.

Bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

Pace bowler Jaspreet Bumrah will be one player to watch for India in this World Cup. Since the previous edition of World Cup, Bumrah has been a premier performer in the 50-over format. He has taken 85 wickets in 49 matches at an average of 22.15.

India History in the tournament

India failed to make an impact in the 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cups played in England. The Men in Blue lacked potency in their bowling lineup and were unable to beat teams like England, Australia and West Indies.

1983 Cricket World Cup proved to be a turning point for India in limited-overs cricket. Kapil Dev led from the front and delivered exceptional performances to see India upstage West Indies in the finals of the competition. Chasing 183 runs to win, West Indies were bundled out for 140 runs to see India win their maiden World Cup crown.

The World Cup moved to the sub-continent for the first time with India and Pakistan playing host in 1987. With India and Pakistan both making it the semi-finals, there was growing anticipation of a potential India vs Pakistan final.  India suffered a close defeat at the hands of England in the semifinals of the competition.

In 1992 World Cup, India was knocked out in the first round of the tournament. In 1996 World Cup, India beat Pakistan in a quarterfinal game played in Bengaluru and looked in good form to go the distance. On a crumbling wicket, India suffered a demoralizing defeat against Sri Lanka in front of packed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. 

In 2003, India managed to reach the finals of the competition due to splendid performances from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Ashish Nehra. World Champions Australia registered an emphatic win over India to lift their third World Cup trophy.

In 2011, India managed to dispel all the doubts and became the first side to win the World Cup in home conditions.  MS Dhoni and co. played exceedingly well to help India end their trophy drought after 28 years.

In 2015 Cricket World Cup, Australia crushed India’s hopes of retaining the title as they inflicted a 95-run loss at the SCG to bring an end to the Men in Blue’s reign as World Champions.

Here is India's performance throughout the previous cricket world cup tournaments and the respective champions:

• 1975 Group Stage West Indies
• 1979 Group Stage West Indies
• 1983 Champions India
• 1987 Semi-finalists Australia
• 1992 Group Stage Pakistan
• 1996 Semi-finals Sri Lanka
• 1999 Super-Six Australia
• 2003 Finalists Australia
• 2007 Group Stage Australia
• 2011 Champions India
• 2015 Semi-finals Australia

Latest News

• Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, and Lokesh Rahul were included in the final squad for 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup
• Ambati Rayudu was dropped from the side due to a string of low scores in limited-overs cricket this season

India World Cup Schedule

India is scheduled to play their opening game against South Africa at The Rose Bowl Ground in Southampton on 5th June.

• 05 June Southampton India vs South Africa 03:00 PM
• 09 June London India vs Australia 03:00 PM
• 13 June Nottingham India vs New Zealand 03:00 PM
• 16 June Manchester India vs Pakistan 03:00 PM
• 22 June Southampton India vs Afghanistan 03:00 PM
• 27 June Manchester India vs West Indies 05:00 PM
• 30 June Birmingham India vs England 03:00 PM
• 02 July Birmingham India vs Bangladesh 03:00 PM
• 06 July Leeds India vs Sri Lanka 03:00 PM

India Cricket World Cup Prediction

At 10CRIC, India is placed at the second position to win 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and outright odds are 4.00. Besides host England, India is favorites to win their third World Cup crown in England.

For India, Virat Kohli leads the way in the Top Batsman for World Cup as outright odds are 8.00. He is seen by bookies to finish the competition as leading run-scorer. Kohli certainly can achieve the record if India goes the distance this time around.

For this year’s World Cup, India is expected to beat teams like South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in the round-robin stage. The side is expected to win at least seven or eight games in the round-robin stage.

Cricket World Cup Betting Tips and Predictions

For all the news and updates related to the India cricket team, you can check circbettingbuzz.com. Cricket Punters, who will be supporting India in this year’s World Cup, can place their bets on their favorite with our selected list of premium cricket betting sites. Also, you can check our cricket prediction articles for the 2019 Cricket World Cup to get more information on your favorite team and their scheduled games in the competition.