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In India, cricket is not a game, but a religion; something very integral and natural to Indian culture. Children start playing with the bat and ball from a very young age, often running away from schools and colleges and playing cricket by bunking classes.
It seems to have become a way of expressing ourselves, just the way Football is in Europe and South America.
There are many players today, who have shown immense potential and great temperament, but unfortunately, have not been part of the regular Indian team.
This would give a good headache to the Indian selectors ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, as it would be quite a task to select a squad of 15 members out of a big pool of deserving candidates.
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Let us have a look at 30 probable players who could make it to the World Cup squad.
Openers
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal
Pretty obvious, isn't it? Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have a proven track record of doing well at the top and with their understanding along with the history of partnerships in ICC Tournaments and Asia Cup, they both are certainly India's first choice openers.
KL Rahul has been exceptional for India in all the formats, and as someone who can very quickly adapt to different formats and situations of the game, KL stands as the third opener, who can replace either of the openers if need be.
The advantage of having a KL Rahul or a Mayank Agarwal in the side is that they can bat at any of the top 4 positions and therefore, can open, bat at number 3 if Virat is injured or a wicket is lost early while the ball is swinging, they can be sent in to face the swing and also bat at number 4 after Virat.
Mayank Agarwal has been the most consistent top order batsman in domestic 50 over tournaments as well as List A cricket. His perseverance and persistence can enable him to secure a position in the International side.
Middle Order (No. 3 and 4)
Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu proved all his critics wrong by playing his best ever season of IPL and doing a remarkable job while opening the innings for CSK. He has looked pretty steady this Asia Cup too and would want to continue doing well in order to grab a spot in the World Cup squad.
Rahane's limited overs career seems to be fading out due to his inability to score runs on a regular basis and he looks to have lost his charm in the longer format of the game too, but given his swashbuckling performances for India in the 2015 WC, he might be able to replicate some great form over the next few months and get a chance to represent India again.
Shreyas Iyer has been on tenterhooks for a while now, making frequent appearances in Indian squads but hardly making it to the playing XIs.
He has exhibited impressive top order batting skills as well as exemplary captaincy abilities this IPL. The complete package makes him a dependable prospect for India.
Manish Pandey did extraordinarily well for India B in the recently concluded quadrangular Series, leading the side to a series win over India A, South Africa A and Australia A. Pandey can build the innings and also go for sixes as and when needed. He could be given a long run for India.
Skipper Kohli is the backbone of the Indian batting setup. Kohli has to bat up there without exception. He might want to bat at number 4 in case a wicket falls early while the ball is still swinging, but he is and will remain India's permanent number 3.
Middle Order (No. 5 and 6)
MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, Suresh Raina, Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik
Imagine the Indian team without MS Dhoni! U cannot, right?! That's the saga MS has created.
The Indian limited overs setup revolves around him and his mere presence is what makes much of the difference. His presence behind the stumps keeps the batsmen wary of stepping out of the crease.
Dhoni's brilliant cricketing acumen has already earned him lots of praise, and he continues to be one of the most impactful wicket-keepers of the game.
Dhoni, however, needs to come up with newer ideas with the bat and probably an upward shift in the batting order is all he would need.
At No. 4 or 5, Dhoni could do wonders, just the way he hammered the bowlers black and blue all through IPL 2018.
He has to take the call whether he wants to do the anchor's role or continue doing the finisher's role, which he has not been able to do very well in the recent past.
Dinesh Karthik has proven his match-winning abilities in this year's Nidahas Trophy and also the IPL, doing extremely well even down the order and playing the big shot at will.
Karthik has stepped up his game as per the modern day's needs and can now adapt to the role of a No. 4 batsman, as well as a finisher batting at No. 6 or 7.
Suresh Raina might not have been at the top of his game over the past couple of years, but he has always proven to be a force to reckon and his ability to roll his arms over in the middle overs and also pick a wicket or two on turning tracks can get him a call-up.
Ishan Kishan is one new talent that seems to have a great technique, great temperament as well as the ability to hit big shots, and that's what makes him a great choice for a wicketkeeper-batsman. The only thing he needs to work on is his consistency.
Rishabh Pant, the teenage batting sensation who has been hitting the bowlers out of the park and has also proven himself in Test Cricket with a flabbergasting Century in the final Test against England at their home ground.
Pant is the only possible replacement of MS Dhoni in limited overs cricket, and with the rate at which he is improving his game and scoring runs at mammoth strike rates, he is almost certain to be a part of the WC Squad.
Kedar Jadhav has been an India regular and has made the No. 6 position his own, be it while batting or bowling.
He is the No. 6 batsmen and is also India's 6th bowling option. His round-arm action has deceived quite a few and he has won several matches for India with the ball, picking key wickets and giving away a handful of runs.
All-Rounders (No. 7 and 8)
Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar and Axar Patel
Hardik, a find that India was looking for, for a very very long time. Every good side in World Cricket that has won World Cups have had a genuine fast bowling all-rounder.
India, however, never found a reliable fast bowling all-rounder. Hardik Pandya came in and filled that large gap which was previously tried to be filled by Stuart Binny and Irfan Pathan, but could not be. Hardik has played some excellent knocks with the bat, hitting the ball many a mile and can also bowl a complete quota of 10 overs as India's third pacer.
Krunal Pandya has not seemed as impressive yet, but his skill-set is something India could use well. In case Kedar Jadhav is unfit or injured, Krunal can come in as a genuine finisher, who can smash the ball hard and be the 6th bowler. He is a full-time all-rounder and can add to India's variety of spin bowling, complementing Kuldeep and Chahal.
Ravindra Jadeja made his comeback to the ODI setup after about 480 days. He has also upped his Test cricket game, performing well against England and has looked good so far in the Asia Cup.
If Jadeja can take his form ahead, finishing matches well and also picking wickets in between, he is certain to be part of the WC squad.
Deepak Chahar, CSK's find of the season has performed phenomenally well, swinging the ball both ways and picking crucial wickets.
He had a good hand in CSK's title win and his ability to hit the ball for sixes and fours gives India a great option to replace Hardik or Jadhav as and when required.
Axar Patel has been consistently making it to the Indian side since 2014-15, but his non-improvement with the bat has always made him look like a replacement for Jadeja, and with Jadeja himself losing his spot, Axar's chances have reduced too. If he can improve his batting and remain consistent with the ball, he can still make it.
Spinners
Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar
Ashwin has pretty much lost his spot in the side and there seems to be no solid reason to bring him back in the near future. Ashwin might be picked on the basis of a good domestic season and good batting performances if he does so. Else, he doesn't seem to be on the selectors' radar.
Chahal is the modern day genius, picking wickets at regular intervals and also providing economical spells of spin bowling to India.
Chahal has been consistent with his line, lengths, and performance, thus being an obvious choice for the squad.
Kuldeep has complemented Chahal very well and they both have together taken a plethora of wickets, letting batsmen never settle and troubling them throughout.
With his unorthodox action, Kuldeep makes it a stupendous task for batsmen to pick him and keeps picking wickets with his variations.
Washington Sundar had been doing pretty well, up until IPL 2018, where he came in as Nidahas Trophy's man of the series and ended IPL as an expensive non-wicket taking spinner.
Sundar has shown some skill with the bat but being able to make it to the World Cup squad demands much more. Sundar has to become a genuinely dependable off-spinner and also develop his batting even more.
Fast Bowlers
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj and Khaleed Ahmed
Bhuvi has been India's Mr. Swing, bowling amazingly with the new ball and also bowling fabulous yorkers and slower balls at the death.
Bhuvi has shown immense consistency, perseverance, and composure, picking wickets in every series and also making small contributions with the bat. He is a must include for the World Cup squad.
Bumrah too has developed as an ODI bowler, picking wickets with the new ball and bowling excellent yorkers and slower balls at the death, something he specializes in. Bumrah has improved himself each day and his worth as a pure bowler has only increased with time.
Khaleed Ahmed announced himself in this Asia Cup, in the match against Hong Kong, picking three wickets and bowling fantastic lengths. Khaleel has impressed one and all with his debut performance for India and surely has a great career ahead of him.
Umesh Yadav has been a seasoned campaigner, and with his experience of playing a World Cup already, apart from several other ICC events, he could be picked on the basis of his domestic and IPL performances and experience.
Siraj has been doing exceedingly well for India A and also in IPL for quite some time now. He has been part of Indian squads but seldom has he been part of the playing XIs. Siraj, if played on a regular basis, can do great heroics for the Country.
Shami is again a seasoned campaigner, with World Cup and other ICC tournaments' experience. He has shown tremendous consistency and persistence and he can very well make it to the squad again.
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