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

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.