Middle order
Virat Kohli: The Indian captain still has 5-6 years of cricket left in him and will continue to be the pillar of strength in the middle order. He did not score a century in the ongoing world cup and perished on 1 run in the crunch semi-final against New Zealand.
The 30-year-old is expected to lead the side until the next world cup in 2023.
Rishabh Pant: The number four conundrum has been a sensitive issue for the Indian team in the recent while. The selectors preferred Vijay Shankar at the number four slot in the ongoing world cup but his poor form didn’t helped the cause of the team. He suffered a toe injury and was ruled out of the world cup, making way for Rishabh Pant at his position.
The selectors preferred a much experienced Dinesh Karthik over him in the initial squad but an injury to Shikhar Dhawan made way for him in the 15-member squad. Pant is expected to rise in stature in the coming years and will be a key to India’s chances in the coming future. The Delhi batsman has the ability to turn a game on his own and team management will expect that the number four conundrum will finally be solved with the presence of Pant.
5- MS Dhoni: There were speculations that the former India captain will hang his boots after the conclusion of the world cup but he made it clear that he is no mood to retire anytime soon. The 38-year-old has won all the ICC trophies and it will be a tough task for the selectors to sideline him until he has not retired.
Dhoni will have the responsibility of grooming the young wicket-keeper batsman like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan.
6- Ishan Kishan or Shubman Gill: Kishan led the 2016 U19 Indian team to the finals where they lost to West Indies. The Patna born Jharkhand bound cricketer has started to shine with the bat in the domestic cricket. He has scored 2538 runs in 40 first class game with an average of 39. The 20-year-old has also featured in 45 List A games, scoring 1650 runs.
Gill made his India debut in New Zealand ODI series in February 2019 and is a bright prospect for the national team in the coming years. However, considering the jam packed top order, he will not get to bat at his favourable batting position but the team management may utilize his talent in the lower middle order.
Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik took charge of the number six spot in the ongoing world cup but both have failed to contribute to team’s success. Both are 34-year-old currently and the selectors will be looking for younger options to start building a team for next world cup.
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