India XI: Optimal Squad for ICC WC 2019

The tail and the bowlers

The Indian bowling now has a lot more strike power than before

Hardik Pandya is always a certainty. He is an excellent fielder, a dominant bowler and a swashbuckling batsman. Moreover, he rises to the occasion and performs.

Coming to the bowling unit, it has been reiterated multiple times now that the Indian bowling is probably at its best now. Greats have come in the past but mostly they were lone warriors. The present bowling lineup performs as a wholesome package and all that needs to be done is to select the right combination depending upon the day.

While we have a pace bowling all-rounder in Hardik Pandya, we have an alternative spinner in Kedar Jadhav. Now, we have the liberty to select 3 among Shami, Bhuvi, Chahal and Kuldeep. Bumrah is always a certainty, he isn't the top-ranked ODI bowler for nothing.

However, there comes a risk in playing Chahal, he is a bit weak on the field. Whatever be the case, we now have the comfort to keep the bowling balanced or a little bit pace-heavy depending upon the need and conditions on the match-day.

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Final XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Jaspreet Bumrah, 3 of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

Whatever be the drawbacks, I feel the homework done in the past 2 years was good and I will be rooting for the new generation India, a side that is ferocious, relentless and feared by opponents.