CWC 2019: Five Indian players who will be crucial to the team's chances

The 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup is just weeks away, and we are into the business end of the tournament, witnessing some of the best on-field cricketing action. Most of the Indian hopefuls for the World Cup spot are in decent touch, and the fans would hope individuals like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav come back to their usual self.

The biggest talking points are the inclusions of Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar over Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu. There has been a lot of talk regarding the No.4 spot for India. It is clear that Shankar has made that spot his own. KL Rahul is the back-up opener, and Dinesh Karthik is the reserve keeper.

India will go into the tournament in search of their third title, and their first since 2011.

India Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Yuzuvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, and Kedar Jadhav.

Here are five Indian cricketers who will be crucial to the team's chances at the ICC World Cup 2019.

#5 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most prolific batsmen for India since the 2013 Champions Trophy. He became the fastest Indian to reach the 1000 run mark in ODIs, and has never looked back since then.

'Gabbar' had a good World Cup the last around in 2015. In fact, Dhawan has been phenomenal whenever he is playing a big tournament, be it the Champions Trophy, the Asia Cup, or the World Cup for that matter.

Dhawan is certainly a big match player, and the Indians will hope that he will be delivering this time around too. He has a good ODI record in England and will look to improve upon the record further.

Having struck a purple patch in the IPL, Dhawan will certainly be crucial to to India's chances at the World Cup.

#4 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be playing the 4th World Cup of his career, but not as a captain this time around, having relinquished the role. He may not be the same player that he once was, but with enough experience, he still brings a lot to the table.

Dhoni is still one of the best middle order batsmen in the world, and even though he may have lost his finishing prowess, he is still good at reading the game at the crunch situations. Dhoni just needs one good innings to get some confidence back and with enough game time acquired before the World Cup, we will see the Dhoni of old.

As a wicketkeeper, he is still the best in the world and can enter any team just as a keeper. His guidance to Kohli in pressure situations is vital and the younger bowlers will be benefitted with his presence behind the stumps.

#3 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya needs to step up in this World Cup.

Hardik Pandya has the ability to change the game on its head on any given day, but he has not been able to perform consistently for India. Pandya has been given a lot of chances as evident from the fact that he has played close two matches across formats for India in just three years from his debut.

Pandya needs to repay the faith shown by the team management by repeating the performances of the great Yuvraj Singh in 2011, if India has to go all the way in lifting the World cup for the third time.

Hardik is a rare all-rounder that India has been looking for over the years, and it could be a career-changing tournament for him if he is able to make some sort of impact for the team in this World Cup.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

One of the best death bowlers going around.

Jasprit Bumrah has quickly risen to the prominence to become India's go-to man across the formats. His unique bowling action has paid rich dividends to him and along with Bhuvi, he forms one of most dreaded opening bowling pairs. His slower balls, and his lethal yorkers can deceive even the best batsmen. Bumrah is the pillar of Indian bowling attack and will be a key in India's quest for the title.

His arrival saw India becoming one of the best bowling attacks, and he is one of the players who can give IPL the credit for their success.

Bumrah is one of the best bowlers going around in the world of cricket, and India are lucky to have a player of his ability in his prime form. His match winning ability cannot be disregarded and the opposition will surerly look to play him safely.

#1 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, as a batsman has been in phenomenal form since eternity, and has been consistently scoring runs for fun against every opposition in any given condition.

For the first time, Kohli will be leading the side in a World Cup, and with a bowling attack which is on the up, a batting line up that is as good as the world's best, a good fielding unit to support, India looks set for a repeat of 2011, where it was the captain who led the way with the bat when it mattered the most. Kohli will also will be looking to be the perfect successor to Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

He will look to keep aside the disappointment of RCB's by changing his fortunes with the national team and winning the World Cup for country.

Will he lead the Men in Blue to glory? Only time will tell.