After all the hurdles for India’s participation , finally BCCI has given green signal for participation in #CT17 . The current world no. 3 looks a commendable squad and will be a favourite to defend their title which they won in 2013 . India will start their campaign against arch rivals Pakistan on 4th June at Edgbaston.Lets discuss India’s strength and weakneess.
Strengths
- Captain’s fearless approach : Virat Kohli has led India fearlessly in tests that has earned him and his team the number one rank in tests despite having the services of young players.He would like to continue his fearless and aggressive approach in the champions trophy where India looks to defend the title.In ODI series against England earlier this year , he showed that he is also ready to take on ODI captaincy by winning the series comprehensively . Another plus point for India is the experience of MS Dhoni , he was the most achievable captain for some reason and his tips on some serious situation can come handy for Virat.
- Mix of youth and experience : India has the best mix of youth and experience in the squad.Players like MSD and Yuvraj Singh have served the country for so long and their vast experience can do wonders for India and be lethal for the opponents. Whereas young brigade of Rohit ,Virat ,Jadeja will be fearless and they could well turn the complexion of the game on their own.
- Pace Attack : India’s bowling has always been a concern in ICC tournaments but this story looks to be a history as India has a world class pace attack now. In an interview , Sri Lanka’s veteran pacer Chaminda Vaas termed that India has the best bowling line up in the world. The swing of Bhuvneshwar can get us early wickets as well as his death bowling can contain the bastmen , Bumrah’s toe crushing yorkers will be hard to play for any batsmen ,Umesh Yadav’s swinging inswingers with over 140 km/h could well trouble the batsmen and Mohammad Shami’s wicket taking ability is known to the world. The spin attack also look world class with the likes of R. Ashwin delivering impressively for India in recent times and Jadeja who is also no. 1 test bowler in the world.
Weakness
- Poor form of batters in IPL : Indian batting line up looks strong but all batsmen seems to be out of touch in recentely concluded IPL , which is a major blow to India’s chances in #CT17 . The run machine Kohli has not fired as expected and has scored 308 runs in 10 matches . Rohit has just scored 333 runs in 17 matches , Shikhar Dhawan has also scored just par with 479 runs in 14 matches . Ajinkya Rahane has failed to make a mark scoring just 382 runs in 16 matches. MS Dhoni has played couple of impactful innings and scored 290 runs in 16 matches. Yuvraj Singh fired in starting part of IPL but failed to make a mark in later part ,ending up with 252 runs in 12 matches. Kedar Jadhav was out of touch throughout the tournament scoring 269 in 13 matches. Dinesh Karthik scored 361 runs in 14 matches and came as a replacement for injured Manish Pandey.
- Injury concern : India will rely yet again on R Ashwin to deliver. But his injury has been a concern and lack of active match participation can also be a cause. Mohammad Shami is also not 100% fit and the fitness issues of these two stalwarts can be devastating for Indian team.
Schedule:
June 4: India v Pakistan, Birmingham, 3:00 PM IST (Group B)
June 8: India v Sri Lanka, London, 3:00 PM IST (Group B)
June 11: India v South Africa, London, 3:00 PM IST (Group B)
