India’s Advantage and Disadvantage in the World Cup
India will definitely have a huge advantage in the world cup, however, they will have the biggest disadvantage of playing in front of their own fans. In India, the crowds will put a lot of pressure on the Indian team and they need to overcome that apart from the opposition.
Strong Team but Lack of Spinners
They do have a very good team. You need to have one or two good all-rounders and two really good spinners if you are going to win the tournament at home. Honestly, though, I don’t know whether India has two proper spinners. They have good all-rounders, who happen to be spinners but I can’t see a proper spinner in this side. On Indian pitches, they need a strong group of spinners. If not, it would be a disadvantage for India.
- Of course, there is Kuldeep Yadav, he can be a match-winner as he showed against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup.
- India needs one more spinner to support Kuldeep Yadav.
- Teams will try to target Kuldeep Yadav and unsettle him.
- India should consider having R Ashwin in the squad, if not in the XI.
- A balanced all-round attack is important to win games.
The Importance of Batsmen Who Can Bowl
India doesn’t have a batsman who can bowl. In big tournaments like the World Cup, having top order batsmen who can also bowl can be a big disadvantage if it affects the balance of the team.
India’s Strength in Fast Bowling
India will do well, mainly because of the fast bowling attack they have. Someone like Mohammed Shami staying out (of Asia Cup games) shows the quality they have in their ranks. So overall, I feel India has one of the best fast bowling attacks.
Predictions for the World Cup
A World Cup in India is a totally different story because you will come across varied conditions from venue to venue. In such conditions, all the sub-continent teams are in with a chance in every game. Even Bangladesh and Afghanistan have potential to do well.
When it comes to the last four, I will put England first into the semifinals because Ben Stokes coming into the team is a huge boost for them. With Kane Williamson returning, New Zealand will feel further strengthened and in World Cups, you can never look past them. Despite minor issues with their spinners, I put India also in the semifinals because they know the conditions better than anyone else. And then there will be Australia as well because they seem to be playing well of late. These are the four teams I see who can be consistent. Even if they lose one match, they can come back and win two. This is going to be a very closely fought World Cup.
(As told to Venkata Krishna)
