World Cup 2019: 5 essential traits of a champion team

#3 Batting and Bowling All-rounder

The duo of Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes provides immense balance to the English side.

Gone are the days where players were selected based on their one-dimensional skill. In the modern era, teams have been in search of all-rounders more than a batsman or a bowler. Unless it's a Virat Kohli or a Kane Williamson, it is never easy for a player to hold their place in the team unless they have the '3-D skills'.

The duo of Ben Stokes - Chris Woakes or Hardik Pandya - Ravindra Jadeja can be a fitting example for this combination. These are the kind of players who can shift the momentum to their side with a match-saving innings or a fierce bowling spell.

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#4 Lower Order Contribution

England tops the list of lower order contributions with the bat

In the modern-day cricket, even the No. 8, 9, 10, 11 batsmen have started to have a go at the opposition bowlers. Their contribution in these past 4 years is such that their tag as 'Tailenders' has slowly transformed into 'Lower order batsman'.

Unlike Australia, England or New Zealand who have a savvy lower order, the Indian team has struggled in this department in recent times. Apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it is apparent that none of the other bowlers (Bumrah, Chahal, Kuldeep and Shami) qualify as a lower-order batsman.

Though each one of them are match-winners in their own department, it has put more pressure on the Indian top-order to bat deep by avoiding risky shots until the slog overs.