5 things from India's 2011 World Cup triumph that Virat Kohli can turn to for inspiration

The current form of Team India in limited overs cricket has been nothing less than sensational. If the team holds any kind of regret for not playing up to the mark, the list should be small - losing the ODI series to England, tied matches with minnows like Afghanistan and West Indies, and the historic loss in the final of the ICC Champions trophy. Except for the aforesaid episodes, India have been right on the money in almost all the series.

Beating South Africa 5-1 on their home soil was truly special. With the 2019 World Cup little more than 10 ODIs away, cricket lovers around the globe are expecting Virat Kohli's men to make it to the finals. Who would likely be India’s opponent in the finals is the hot topic of discussion.

India’s No. 4 conundrum seems pretty sorted at the moment with the arrival of Ambati Rayudu. Expressing confidence in Rayudu’s ability in one of his recent post-match conferences, skipper Virat Kohli said, "We are looking at Rayudu as a permanent No. 4 option."

Rayudu’s inclusion is intended to strengthen the Indian middle order alongside MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav. With a vast pool of all-rounders in the lower middle order and world class bowlers in both spin and pace, India are one of the biggest favorites to win cricket’s most coveted trophy in 2019.

If India are to repeat their 2011 World Cup feat this time though, a lot would depend on the balance and composition of the team. First, let us look into all the things that went right for India in the 2011 edition. Kohli can easily get a lot of inspiration from the positives of the World Cup 2011 triumph, which are listed below:

#1: Presence of stalwarts

This parameter may hardly hold any significance as class and form are the two most important attributes that determine the outcome of any match. However, when it comes to judging a team on paper, the names of stalwarts in the side add a lot of weight. Their presence also serves as a means of psychological warfare before a match.

MS Dhoni undoubtedly led a team of stalwarts in the 2011 World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan were six players who came into the World Cup with more than 10 years of experience in international cricket.

In the 2019 World Cup, India may not have so many stalwarts in the squad, but Kohli can certainly get the best out of the current pool of experienced players. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya are the most probable experienced names to be included in the squad.

#2: Batting heavyweights

Virender Sehwag (L) and Gautam Gambhir

From the current batch, India’s ODI monster Rohit Sharma along with Shikhar Dhawan have got the ability to score quickly and stitch long partnerships at the top of the order. And Virat Kohli, experiencing the form of his life, will remain India’s run machine throughout the series.

But with Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav likely to earn their spot in the middle order, the 2019 World Cup squad will see a lighter batting line-up in comparison to the 2011 team.

The names of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh added a factor to the then Indian batting line-up. That tournament saw Sehwag punishing every bowler at the top of the order, followed by hours of beautiful stroke play in the middle by Tendulkar and Kohli, and finally closing the innings with some fireworks from MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh.

At that point in time, the Indian team appeared as the most threatening batting line-up in modern day cricket. The same isn't quite the case today, so Kohli would need to look at strengthening his middle and lower middle order.

#3: Quality all-rounders that can make a difference

Yuvraj Singh

Come 2019, India will have a mighty bench of all-rounders in the line-up. Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav and to some extent even Bhuvneshwar Kumar can contribute with the bat. Kuldeep Yadav is also molding himself into a bowling all-rounder.

If Hardik Pandya makes it into the side, he should look to do what Lance Klusener did in the 1999 World Cup held in England.

All-rounders always come as a bonus to any side. It’s hard to forget Kapil Dev’s heroics in the match against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. In 2011, it was Yuvraj’s turn to steal the thunder; taking 15 wickets in the tournament and scoring four half-centuries and a century with the bat, he was adjudged as the man of the series.

Other all-rounders like Yusuf Pathan, R Ashwin, and Harbhajan Singh too came handy in Indian conditions. If Pandya and company can replicate the efforts of India's 2011 all-rounders, Kohli would be a happy man.

#4: World class bowling unit

India’s bowling department is looking formidable at the moment. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are going to remain the front-line seamers in the pace bowling unit, and both of them are doing extremely well.

In English conditions, India is likely to play three specialist seamers in the line-up, and Umesh Yadav can prove to be an effective option. Amongst the spinners, the combination of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal has worked wonders.

Moreover, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin can always come in handy if the front-line wrist spinners pick up an injury.

Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel managed the pace bowling unit in the 2011 World Cup. While Nehra and Zaheer were amongst the wickets, Munaf Patel succeeded in maintaining a tight economy rate.

In the spin department, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Piyush Chawla and Yusuf Pathan took care of the middle overs and earned some crucial wickets. A lot of credit goes to MS Dhoni for marshaling his bowling resources with so much precision.

Kohli doesn't have to look far for inspiration with his bowling attack. He would try to get as much out of India's current bowling resources as Dhoni did in 2011.

#5: The subtle art of captaincy

MS Dhoni

With MS Dhoni likely to be by the side of Kohli and serve as his mentor in crunch situations, India’s World Cup dreams in 2019 look fairly achievable.

Captaincy is not everyone’s cup of tea. A successful captain doesn’t need to be the best player in the side; it’s the aura around him which should empower his teammates to give their best on the field.

Dhoni on his captaincy debut won the Cricket World T20 for India in 2007. Four years later he won the biggest showpiece trophy.

A biography won’t be enough when it comes to narrating the shrewd captaincy of Dhoni. Staying as cool as a cucumber, he knew what it takes to lead a side with so many stalwarts, creating opportunities for his team with beautiful field placements and above all maintaining a high level of game awareness at all times.

Dhoni was instrumental in adding a lot of positive belief among his team members, which showed in their performances on the field. Kohli is lucky that he still has Dhoni to guide him how to do that.