5 issues which need to be addressed by the Indian ODI team before the 2019 World Cup

The number one ranked ODI team India have been on a roll in the 50-over format of the game. The Men in Blue have proved to be a difficult opponent for all the cricketing nations with the likes Australia, New Zealand, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka tasting defeat in their last bilateral ODI series against India. The Indian ODI outfit is on the verge of creating history by becoming the first Indian team to beat South Africa in South Africa by taking a 3-1 lead in the 6 match ODI series.

The team looks more or less settled and the team management has identified the players who would form the core of the 2019 World Cup squad. However a few issues need to be addressed by the team management before the 2019 World Cup which is only 15 months away. Here is a detailed analysis of the said issues:

#5. The third and the fourth pace option:

Mohammad Shami has played just 3 ODIs in the last couple of years

While Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are wreaking havoc for their opponents, the team management will have to identify their third and the fourth pacers who would be a part of the 2019 World Cup squad.

In the ongoing ODI series, Mohammad Shami and Shardul Thakur are the two pacers who are a part of the squad but are yet to feature in the series.

Shami, who was India's lead pacer in the 2015 World Cup, has battled multiple injuries thereafter and has played just 3 ODIs in the last 2 years. While Shami did not play a single ODI in 2016, he was a part of 3 ODIs in 2017 in which he picked up 4 wickets at an average of 35. 75. This is clear evidence that Shami is lacking match practice in ODI cricket and will have to prove his match fitness by playing more ODI cricket before the 2019 World Cup.

Shardul Thakur is relatively inexperienced in international cricket and has played just 2 ODIs till date. The team management will be taking a big risk by including Thakur in the ODI squad without giving him an opportunity to be a part of the playing 11. Thakur has been exceptional in domestic cricket and would look to impress the selectors as and when he gets a chance to play for India.

Umesh Yadav is another name, who might be considered for the 2019 World Cup considering his experience of playing in England and being in the international circuit for around 7 years. For that to happen, the team management should look to get him back in the ODI squad to give him actual match practice before the 2019 World Cup.

#4. The All-Rounder

Hardik Pandya has been inconsistent with both the bat and the ball in the ongoing ODI series

Hardik Pandya is the lone all-rounder in the Indian squad at present. Pandya, on his day, can be devastating with the bat and can bowl an occasional good spell. However consistency is what Pandya lacks and the management will have to ponder over his role for the 2019 World Cup.

Pandya has been totally inconsistent in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. Out of the 4 ODIs, Pandya has batted in 2 matches and scored just 26 runs. The youngster from Baroda has been inconsistent with the ball too. Having been picked as the fifth bowling option, Pandya at most times does not bowl his quota of 10 overs and the captain has to turn to his part-time bowlers to complete his quota. In his ODI career, Pandya in 37 matches has picked up 36 wickets at an average of 38.58 and an economy of 5.59.

The team management will have to consider whether they would want to persist with the inconsistent Hardik Pandya or whether they would want to groom a specialist finisher at number 7 or look to bring in a spinning all-rounder in the squad for the 2019 World Cup.

#3. The third spinner

Axar Patel has not featured in an ODI since October, 2017

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been exceptional in ODI cricket in the last six months. Yadav has picked up 34 wickets in 18 ODIs at an average of 19.79 while Chahal too has been equally impressive with 39 wickets in 21 ODIs at an average of 22.

Yadav and Chahal played a vital role in the series victory against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka and have bagged plenty of the wickets against South Africa in the ongoing series.

The spin twins are relatively new to the international circuit and it would be justified to have a third spinner in the 2019 World Cup squad. While Axar Patel has impressed in the limited outings in ODI cricket, the presence of Yadav and Chahal have made sure that he does not feature in the playing 11. The left-arm orthodox spinner last played an ODI against New Zealand in October, 2017 and since then has not been a part of the playing 11.

Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja too are not out of the reckoning and one of them would feature in the 2019 World Cup squad considering their experience at the international level and the experience of playing in English conditions.

India next play an ODI series against England in England and the squad for that series would make it clear as to who would be the third spinner in the Indian squad for the 2019 World Cup.

#2. The Finisher

Kedar Jadhav's fitness and his role as a finisher at number 6 might be a cause of concern for India

Team India will have to identify its finisher who would bat at number 6 in the 2019 World Cup. With M.S. Dhoni all set to bat at number 5, the management will have to look to groom a cricketer who can provide the finishing touches to the innings in the death overs.

While Kedar Jadhav has been persisted at number 6 in the last year or so, he has not been a proven finisher in the ODI format especially when India travels abroad. Jadhav's fitness has been a cause of concern for team India in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. The all-rounder will be 33 by the time of the 2019 World Cup and his form and fitness will be the key for India's success at the World Cup.

It will be interesting to see if the management persists with Jadhav for the World Cup or would groom a cricketer like Manish Pandey, who has been scoring heavily in domestic cricket and has been a part of the reserves of the Indian team for some time now. The Karnataka player is a better fielder as compared to Jadhav, which could be one of the reasons why the management would back him for the 2019 World Cup.

#1. The number 4 dilemma

Ajinkya Rahane has batted at number 4 in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa

The number four position in ODI cricket is one of the most vital positions. The number 4 batsman should stabilize the innings in case of a couple of early wickets. In case of a big partnership, he should play the role of the aggressor in the last 10 overs of the innings and provide the finishing touches.

While the number 4 position was vacant in the Indian team since the exclusion of Yuvraj Singh, the management has experimented with the likes of Dinesh Kartik, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and most recently with Ajinkya Rahane in ODIs.

Though Rahane impressed one and all with an impressive innings of 79 in the first ODI against South Africa at Durban, he has failed to live up to the expectations in the remaining matches played and scored just 19 runs in the next two innings. Rahane can play the role of the stabilizer but only time will tell if he can play the role of the aggressor if the situation demands.

The team management would like to give more opportunities to Shreyas Iyer, who has shown glimpses of his class with the limited opportunities he has been provided in the international arena.