ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: India still have many aspects to look into

It's a general human tendency to delay the work till the final hour. And Indian cricket team has been no different. India is just one ODI away from the all important World Cup and they are still trying to figure out what their right combination is. India looks a formidable team and they are being considered as favourites for the WC. But few chinks here and there could lead to India's downfall in the tournament.

The team management need to address the issues as quickly as possible so as to give the players confidence heading into the World Cup. But the problem is that there are few questions too many for Kohli to ponder over.

One thing is for sure, it will be mighty interesting to find out who finds a place in the 15 and who misses out. Let's look at the various points which Kohli and the team management have to look into.

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Is Rayudu your No. 4?

Ambati Rayudu has added to India's headache.

It seems that India is searching for a perfect No. 4 for sometime now but they haven't found one yet. Rayudu was good in the Asia Cup and Kohli affirmed his place in the side. But since then Rayudu has been a sort of worry for the team. In 10 ODI's in 2019, Rayudu has just scored at an average of 31 and played only one impact innings against NZ.

Another problem with the 33-year-old is his strike rate. He takes a lot of balls to settle in and fails to rotate the strike. In a high chasing match or after an impressive start, his approach could derail the momentum. Rayudu was thought as a certainty for the WC before the start of the year but things change quickly. Even though he will still board the flight to England but be ready for surprises if any.

Things not looking good for Jadeja

World Cup place slipping from Jadeja's hand.

Having initially left out for the on-going Australian series, things weren't looking bright for Jadeja. But injury to Pandya gave him a chance to make it to the WC. He played the first 3 games, but failed to make an impression. He was flat with the ball and when he had the opportunity to show his batting ability at Ranchi (the team required his all-round ability), he struggled for his timing. This series will surely have a big say in the team for the World Cup and if Jadeja was your backup all-rounder, he didn't live up to the expectations. The only department Jadeja impressed was his fielding!

Vijay Shankar strengths his case

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 2

With every innings and every match, the Tamil Nadu's all-rounder keeps on impressing. After a good series against the Kiwis, Shankar has yet again proved his mettle in the on-going Australian series. He has looked a proper batsman and even at the death in the Mohali match, he was just not slogging. Talking about his minor skill, he has been decent with the ball. He also showcased his ability to handle pressure when he bowled the last over and helped India seal a thriller at Bangalore.

What this series has done now is that it has made his case even stronger for the WC. India could well and truly try him out in the middle order at 4 or 5 in place of Rayudu, who doesn't seem to solve India never ending No. 4 conundrum. His bowling ability makes him an even more complete package.

What does the team want from Pant?

Pant has the X-factor but is he mature enough?

In 2011 and 2015, India went into the World Cup with only Dhoni as the specialist wicket-keeper. Dhoni is as fit a cricket as you would find. But time has changed and with age Dhoni has had issues with hamstrings. So, it’s necessary to have a backup keeper for WC 2019.

There was a tossup between Pant and Karthik. The latter had the finishing line in sight but Pant overtook him on the back of his test performances. It's a little hard to understand what actually the team wants from Pant. He is a capable enough batsman to bat at 4 but they are playing him down the order where he has to go hard and if he loses his wicket, his consistency is questioned.

Yes, it's right that he hasn't been able to find the right balance between defence and attack but he should be aware of what the team wants from him. He is being looked as a proper batsman, so can India play him at 4 along with Dhoni, another aspect Indian team can look at.

Where to bat Rahul?

It's high time for Rahul to justify his talent.

There is no doubt in the ability that KL Rahul possesses and rightly so has the complete backing from the team management. He is the best back-up opener. But with Rayudu's poor form, is the team management looking at him as the middle order player or at Kohli's own position No. 3, that is the big question.

If India had tried Rahul enough in the middle order, he could have solved India's middle order issues. But now it's too late to experiment. Moreover, Rahul is a free flowing batsman, so middle order isn't the ideal place for him (without any experience). Shastri has told a few times that Kohli can bat at 4, which means India can accommodate Rahul at 3 and strengthen the middle order.

But can Kohli give his No. 3 spot which has earned and has now owned for many years, a topic for a debate surely. The way Kohli understands the game, sets up the innings is an art difficult to match. Batting him at 4 would be similar to making a book lover wait to read his favourite book, which shouldn't be the case.