World Cup 2019: India's best possible lineup for the semi-final

India qualified for the semifinals of the World Cup with a game to spare and were arguably the best team of the round-robin stage. Their position on the points table was a testament to this fact, although they reached there with a little help from the already down South Africa.

India has a habit of making a few changes to their XI depending on various factors like to opposition, ground and weather condition, etc. Kuldeep Yadav was dropped in the match against Bangladesh for Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the pitch did not support spin bowling. Dinesh Karthik was given a nod ahead of Kedar Jadhav as the latter was not performing up to the mark.

However, something that has been a point of contention for the last two matches, is the absence of a sixth bowling option. Although five bowlers have been able to do a good enough job in the two matches, the balance of a side is complete only when the captain can rely upon a bowler to cover up for an underperforming front line bowler. For instance, in the match against Sri Lanka, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was taken for runs. Thus Kolhi was forced to bowl Pandya in the latter overs, something that is not the all-rounder's forte.

Thus here is a list of the XI players that would provide the best balance to the Indian team in any condition, especially that it is the semifinal and there will be no second chances for any team.

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The Openers: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul

Arguably, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have been the best batsmen in the Indian team in the World Cup. The former has been breaking records with almost every ball he plays and is the leading run-getter in the tournament. Rohit has scored 5 centuries in 8 innings and seems to be scoring runs for fun. The only thing that prevented the cricketing world from completely endorsing The Hitman was his inconsistency. However, he has put all these doubts to rest and has helped the team in winning most of their matches.

Although KL Rahul was picked as a No. 4 at the beginning of the tournament, an injury to Shikhar Dhawan meant that Rahul was pushed to a more favourable position. Since opening the innings, he has scores of 57, 30, 48, 0, 77 and 111 at an average of 51.43. He has cemented his place at the top of the order with brilliant batting displays.

These two along with Kohli are definitely the confirmed names for the semifinal.

The middle order: Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni

Virat Kohli has been performing as expected with 442 runs in his 8 innings at an average of 63.14. However, he is yet to reach the three-figure mark. He has taken the team over the line on most occasions and he is, apart from the fact that he is the captain, the first name of the team sheet.

Rishabh Pant only joined the squad due to the injury to Shikhar Dhawan. However, with Vijay Shankar being ruled out of the competition with an injury, Pant got his chance to take the No. 4 spot. He is yet to play a big innings but has scored quick runs whenever given the opportunity. He has scored a brave 32 off 29 balls against England and a quickfire 48 off 41 against Bangladesh. With Dhoni now playing the anchor role, Pant's role as an enforcer has become very important.

MS Dhoni always divides opinion, but one cannot deny that he is the most valuable player in the team at the moment. Although he is not the batsmen he was a few years back, his importance to the team extends beyond the confines of batting. Expecting him to play the role of a finisher, scoring at a strike rate of over 110-120 is not fair as he now plays as an anchor while the finisher role has to be played by the likes of Pant and Pandya.

Dhoni has played important innings like the against Australia, West Indies and especially Bangladesh wherein he held his end while wickets kept tumbling at the other, to ensure India get past the 300 run mark.

The Lower order: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

It is good to have an all-rounder in any team and what better than to have two all-rounders in one team. Hardik Pandya has gone from strength to strength since the last IPL and has put in excellent batting performances. However, what is pertinent to note is his improvement as a bowler. He has picked crucial wickets for the team and Kohli has even trusted him as a permanent 10 overs bowling option. Pandya has the second best strike rate as a batsman in the world cup (played 5 matches or more) and has picked 9 wickets in 9 innings.

Ravindra Jadeja was given a run in the team against Sri Lanka and he didn't disappoint. Although his batting services were not required, he bowled his full quota of 10 overs conceding just 40 runs and picking one wicket, which could have been more but for a dropped catch. His inclusion will not only bolster the balance by providing a sixth bowling option but will provide a firm batting option as well.

To add to the batting and bowling skills of these two, they are arguably the two best fielders in the Indian team at the moment. Thus even if they do not contribute with either bat or ball, they will definitely cover it up in the field.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar earns his spots at the expense of Mohammad Shami as he is more well-rounded bowler with the ability to open the bowling, act as a strike bowler in the middle overs and then curtail the runs at the death. He started the series well with 5 wickets in 2 matches but was struck with injury in the third match. He made a good comeback against Bangladesh conceding just 51 runs in 9 overs and bowling admirably at the death. Although he was expensive at the beginning against Sri Lanka, he came back strong in the last 10 overs. He could also have had a couple of wickets if a catch hadn't been dropped off his bowling and a few edged would have found the fielder.

He is the second best seamer in the Indian team at the moments and needs a guaranteed place in the playing XI.

The Tail: Mohammed Shami/Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

For balance, only one of the two can play

Both these players have been invaluable to the Indian team. However, as not everyone can play at a given time, one of either Mohammed Shami or Kuldeep Yadav will have to be content with the bench. The choice should be made on the pitch and weather conditions.

Shami has been a much-improved bowler since the past year as bowled brilliantly against Afghanistan. He continued to pick wickets against West Indies and England. However, his inability to stop the flow of runs in the death overs started to become a problem. For this reason, India decided to pick Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with Shami and Bumrah. Shami's wicket-taking ability cannot be doubted at all, but his tendency to leak runs might affect his place in the XI

Although Yadav has bowled well in the tournament, he has not been his lethal self. He has picked merely 6 wickets in 8 matches. However, he has bowled at an impressive economy rate of 4.38. He does not have guaranteed place in this XI for the only reason that his ability to be effective on a pitch that is not spin-friendly is not clear of all doubts.

The spin and fast bowling spearheads for India

Yuzvendra Chahal holds his place ahead of Yadav due to his ability of bowl at various intervals in the match as well as perform on batsmen-friendly tracks. He has picked 11 wickets in 8 matches with an economy of 5.23. He can pick wickets when the ball is turning or can stem the flow of runs when needed. He is a clever bowler who bowls with guile and can fool the batsmen into playing false shots.

Jasprit Bumrah is the world's best limited overs bowler on paper and definitely on the field. He has been India's best bowler by far and arguably the tournament's best bowler as well. He has picked 17 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19.53 with an economy of 4.49. This is impressive considering that he bowls most of his overs at the death. He has been carrying India's bowling attack on his shoulders and does not need any justification for his inclusion into the XI.

Predicted 11: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav/Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.