World Cup 2019: SWOT Analysis, X-Factors and Strongest XI of the Semi-Finalists

#1 India

The finishing woes for India have continued to persist, as the team has been unable to unleash itself in the slog overs

Strengths- The Indian top order renders solidarity to India's claim of being a batting powerhouse. While Rohit Sharma has been in the form of his life, with 647 runs in eight innings, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have complemented him really well.

All the Indian bowlers have been in magnificent touch, having their names in the share of wickets. Jasprit Bumrah has been particularly impressive, with his initial spell and accurate yorkers in the death overs.

Weaknesses- The finishing woes for India have continued to persist, as the team has been unable to unleash itself in the slog overs.

With the promotion of Hardik Panyda, the onus of finishing has been on MS Dhoni. India has witnessed a mini collapse towards the slog overs, which forces Dhoni to adopt a cautious approach. This trend has been troubling India for quite some time now.

Opportunities- The batsmen of all the other semi-finalists are mediocre players of spin, with the exception of a few.

This enabled India to achieve success when it toured those nations. With two quality spinners up in their ranks, India has the ability to run through the batting order of any opposition in the middle overs.

Threats- India has been short of a sixth bowler all through the tournament. In the last few matches, captain Virat Kohli has fielded five full-time bowlers. Even in the presence of the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar, Kohli was reluctant on using them.

This is something which cost the team dearly in the clash against England. This shortcoming can be explored by the opposition by targeting any one bowler and reaping the benefits by adding to the pressure.

Key Players- Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah

X-Factor- Hardik Pandya

Strongest XI- Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(wk), Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah