India XI: Optimal Squad for ICC WC 2019

The 3rd and 4th position dilemma

Kohli and Dhoni, like fire and ice

With Virat Kohli playing in one of the spots, the problem might not seem to be big but those who follow the matches know that if the trio of Dhawan-Rohit-Kohli departs early in the innings, barring a few instances, winning the match becomes a mammoth task for the rest.

Accepted, that Dhoni has struck gold recently and with Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav's inclusion, India still might be able to pull off a heist but leaving it up to possibility is not being prepared for a gala event like World Cup. In a recent interview, Ravi Shastri conceded that he might consider playing Virat down the order at No. 4. With the No. 3 position opening up, I feel India should promote Dhoni up there.

This position fits his present condition perfectly, especially when it takes some time for him to warm up his engine. With just a wicket lost, he can both accelerate or consolidate the innings depending upon the needs of the situation. Everyone knows how well he reads the game.

Other options could be playing Vijay Shankar or Rishabh Pant here. While Vijay Shankar might be able to bring a little bit of level-headedness into the attack, it will be either all blitz or nothing with Pant. This will completely depend upon the opponent and the conditions on the day of the game but the wise choice would be playing Dhoni up here while Virat comes at 4.