3 reasons why 2019 is going to be memorable for Indian cricket fans

2019 is all set to be an exciting and memorable year for the Indian cricket enthusiasts.

2018 has been a mixed bag for the Indian cricket fans. While their high hopes suffered a terrible reality check when Virat Kohli's boys travelled to England, dominating performances against comparatively weaker sides like Windies and Ireland bought them some joy. To add to it, the year ended on a high with the men in blue producing some magnificent performances in Australia.

Now, it boils down to the obvious question - How is 2019 going to be? A more transparent answer would have been possible had a time machine been in business, but schedule and statistics say that it is going to be an exciting ride in 2019. Joyous or not, time will tell, but here are the three reasons why 2019 is going to be a memorable year of Indian cricket enthusiasts.

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#1 History in the making

India have a great chance of winning their first ever Test series in Australia

India have found success against many reputed teams in their den, but history proves that their spirits go down when they go Down Under. Quite Surprisingly, they are yet to win a Test series in Australia. However, Indian fans have their fingers crossed as they are on the verge of creating history.

Guided by their prolific skipper Virat Kohli, the current Indian side is wrecking havoc in Australia. After winning the closely-contested first Test in Adelaide, they went off track in the second Test in Perth. However, a scintillating performance in Melbourne proved what this current breed of players are capable of, and a draw in Sydney is enough to secure their first Test series victory on Australian soil.

#2 The Year of the World Cup

The wait of four years is finally coming to an end

For cricket fans, any year that features the ICC Cricket World Cup in it is surely going to be special. Lovers of this beautiful game wait for four years for the biggest cricketing spectacle in the world, and their wait is finally going to end this year. Come this June, all eyes will be glued to the TV sets.

For Indian fans, this World Cup is going to be extra special. After lifting the trophy in 2011, the fans were confident about repeating that in 2015, but host nation Australia proved too hot to handle. However, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, this revamped Indian team is considered as favourites by many pundits. Also, the new 10-team World Cup format will ensure many nerve-wrenching games, including the all-important match against Pakistan.

#1 End of an era?

Is this going to be MS Dhoni's last year in international cricket?

Keeping the exciting and possibly joyous aspects aside, let us now focus on the possible emotional events of 2019. This year, as predicted by many fans and pundits, is expected to be the last year of some Indian legends. To start off, Harbhajan Singh, who now is playing the role of an expert, might call it an end this year. The 38-year-old cricketer has represented his nation over 350 times across all formats.

The next in the list is Yuvraj Singh, the driving force behind India's title-winning 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup campaign. Singh celebrated his 37th birthday a few days back and is miles off from national team consideration.

Finally, we have to put a stone over our chest and accept the harsh truth, which is, this might be the last year we will see Mahendra Singh Dhoni in an Indian shirt. The 37-year-old, who has been one of the best Indian captains ever, if not the very best, is certainly way past his prime. Though he is back in the Indian limited-overs side, keeping the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in mind, the talk of the town is that Dhoni will hang his boots after the World Cup.