India, two-time winners, will be one of the favourites to win the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
India lost the final ODI series before the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which not only put a dampener in the build-up but also displayed India's vulnerabilities in the middle order. The five-match series was supposed to be the final audition for the hopefuls but ended up presenting more concerns than solving the problems. Or is this what's seen in the surface?
But India, ranked second in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings, will enter the tournament as one of the favourites. Because, the Men in Blue have the wherewithal to lift the trophy. There is a go-getter captain, who himself is one of the greatest batsmen to have graced the game. The 30-year-old is confidence personified.
Then, there is team pedigree. It was way back in 1983 when a listless Indian team under Kapil Dev conquered the World, beating the mighty West Indies in the Lord's final. It was a sporting catalyst a nation, teeming with life but uncertain of many things, needed to spark a sporting culture. It opened a new avenue for its youths.
Result? Well, was many Sachins. But it took little longer than expected for India to repeat the feat. It nonetheless happened in 2011 with mercurial Mahendra Singh Dhoni plotting India's every move in that fairy tail – lifting the World Cup trophy in front of a jubilant home crowd, captain providing the finishing touches with a six, future captain carrying Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders, one of their most beloved stars winning the player of the tournament award – there could be no better script than that. And come July, Indian cricket can have another golden chapter.
But it will depend on what the selectors do. The MSK Prasad-led selectors are tasked to pick the best possible squad, and they will do it for sure. They are busy analysing the pros and cons of having a player vis-a-vis the team dynamics, et all while the cricketers themselves are busy with their respective franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
When will Indian squad be announced?
Prasad, chairman of the Indian cricket selection committee, on Sunday indicated that the Indian squad will be announced by the third week of April. "We will be announcing our team for the World Cup on or before April 20," he said.
Earlier, competing teams would announce a probable 30-member list two months before the tournament. But that practice had been done away under the new Members Playing Agreement which came into effect in 2016.
Is it confirmed that Virat Kohli will captain the team?
This is a certainty, except for those who want to read too much into the April Fools' prank.
Will it be MS Dhoni's last World Cup?
Positively yes. The 37-year-old is India's safest hands behind the wickets and still boasts a super cricketing brain, which often bails Kohli out. And as seen in the recent matches, the legend can still finish off matches with his bat. What he needs a grand finish.
Who else will make the squad?
After the 2-3 series defeat to Australia, Kohli said that team is "more or less sorted... So we are not in a confused state anymore. Just probably one spot in the team that we have to discuss, and the rest of the team is pretty much sorted for us and we have been feeling pretty much balanced."
With that in mind, here's the predicted 15-member team:
Batsmen: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (vc), Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant;
Wicketkeeper: MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja
Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
Pacers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami
So, the ideal XI is: 1. Dhawan 2. Rohit 3. Virat 4. Rayudu 5. Dhoni 6. Pant 7. Pandya 8. Yadav 9. Chahal 10. Bhuvi 11. Bumrah
When does India's campaign start?
The World Cup starts on May 30, and India will begin their campaign against South Africa on June 5 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton.
And other matches?
June 9: India vs Australia at The Oval, London;
June 13: India vs New Zealand at Trent Bridge, Nottingham;
June 16: India vs Pakistan at Old Trafford, Manchester;
June 22: India vs Afghanistan at Rose Bowl, Southampton;
June 27: India vs West Indies at Old Trafford, Manchester;
June 30: England vs India at Edgbaston, Birmingham;
July 2: India vs Bangladesh at Edgbaston, Birmingham;
July 6: India vs Sri Lanka at Headingley, Leeds.
Meanwhile, New Zealand have announced their squad earlier in the day (April 3), thus becoming the first team to do so.
Here's the squad: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
All the participating teams need to submit their 15-man squads by April 23. Injury replacements can be named till May 23.