As the T20 World Cup is almost upon us, the Indian fans are raring to witness India take the field again to make amends to their slip-up on the final day of the WTC final against New Zealand. Ever since India’s 2013 triumph in the Champions Trophy, the team has failed to win any ICC-level tournament.
They have started all of the affairs on a decent note but as the fray progressed, things started spiralling out of control for the Indians and in the latter stages of the fray, they have come up with humiliating batting collapses to hand over the victory to their counterparts.
Talking about the batting collapses, it is still inexplicable that despite having such a strong squad at one’s disposal, how can it bottle up in the direst stages of the tournament, gifting away the opportunities to excel in the tournament to others.
For the upcoming World Cup, India has already announced their squad and it seems extremely strong per se. With a perfect blend of youth and experience, this will be India’s best opportunity to seize the throne in the biennial extravaganza that will be happening after a hiatus of 5 long years.
In this story, we will take a quick look at India’s probable batting order for the upcoming cricketing extravaganza.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul
The duo has shared extraordinary chemistry between themselves ever since they have come together to open the innings. Both the cricketers made footfalls in cricket as middle-order batters and after some tinkering, Sharma and Rahul found their footing at the top of the innings.
Rahul is in the form of his life as he has been simply untenable for Punjab Kings with scores of 197 in the last five games. He has shown rock-solid fluidity ever since the last IPL and was crucial in the T20 series against England back home. His hard-hitting in the latter stages of the game laced with a perfect balance between calm and the storm is what makes him such a menacing pick for the World Cup.
Rohit Sharma is currently the best batsman in the Indian ranks as he simply cannot stop scoring. When it comes to the ICC events, he gets even better as in the last cricket World Cup he managed to bang five centuries. He is a relentless striker of the ball and can wreak havoc at will if he gets going. More importantly, a vulnerability for most of the batters across the globe is his strength and that is the short balls.
Number three: Virat Kohli
The Indian skipper is one of the finest batters of the tournament and given the fact that he is in decent form at UAE, means that he will be coming for the throne in the upcoming World Cup. More importantly in the series against England and Australia, he was in intimidating form as he dictated the proceedings with an iron fist. He is an exotic stroke player and the hunger to perform at the top level in him is burning brighter than anyone else.
Number four: Suryakumar Yadav
Though he has been in questionable form in the ongoing phase of IPL if there is one thing that sets aside this youngster from the others and that is his aggressive mindset. He doesn’t believe in wrapping himself up in a cocoon irrespective of the situation. He likes to attack the ball and this mindset of him goes a long way to define the quality of strokes he plays. Yadav is not a wild swinger of the bat but plays his strikes in a very calm and calculated method that makes him a man to watch out for.
Number five: Rishabh Pant
The hard-hitting southpaw only knows one thing and that is unadulterated aggression. He never comes in to play an anchoring stance. He is out for destruction, always lusting for the titanic boundaries. Given his position, unless there is a fiasco up top, he won’t need to hold back anything. A few wild swings and that will get the job done.
Number six: Hardik Pandya
Pandya hasn’t been on the right side of things for a while and ever since his back surgery, his bowling has been very limited that has thrown countless questions at his inclusion in the side. However, the batting that he brings along with himself is absolutely irreplaceable and he is also one of the most adept finishers for India as he proved himself in Australia last year. He is a good striker of the ball and has a variegated arsenal at his disposal.
Number seven: Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja is one of the most complete cricketers to star in the ranks of the Indian cricket team. Alongside his brilliant fielding and stellar bowling, he is a merciless hitter and can flip the tide around on any given day. More importantly, he is a man who thrives under pressure and that is what makes his existence so special to the Indian side.
