Tag: Cricket

India Roster Breakdown

ICC Ranking: 2nd

If “stacked” isn’t the first thing on your mind when you see this roster, I have some questions.

Batters: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni (WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK)

Bowlers: Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Yuzendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami

All Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja

Don’t Sleep On:

–Yuzendra Chahal: The spinner is known for surprising bursts of wickets when he’s on. Look for him to thrive in the middle overs and grab an important wicket to break up a dominant partnership.

–KL Rahul: Seemingly back from his uncharacteristically slow start in the IPL, Rahul will look to translate that T20 success to the ODI format, where his experience is relatively limited. Don’t be shocked if he cracks a 50 or two during the tournament.   

–Kuldeep Yadav: The left-handed wrist spinner, still seems weird to say, will likely be a spark plug for India this tournament. Making his first World Cup appearance, Kuldeep has huge potential and can take a game over seemingly out of nowhere, just ask England!

Needed to Make a Run:

–Hardik Pandya: The all-rounder from Gujarat is proving this year in the IPL that the hype and potential surrounding his career is warranted. His quick-strike ability both with the bat and ball are sure to get India out of potential unfavorable situations.

–Jasprit Bumrah: ICC’s number one ranked ODI bowler in the world, Bumrah is coming into the World Cup in elite form. India doesn’t have the tournament of their dreams without Bumrah being one of, if not the top wicket-takers.

Key to the Cup:

-Virat Kohli: The best player in the world on arguably the best team in the world. There will be times this tournament where Kohli has to lead from the front, so don’t be shocked when he wins a match by himself with a classic Kohli chase.

Why Should I Watch?

Do you enjoy a stacked batting lineup? Great, you’ll love this team. Do you enjoy a loaded bowling rotation? This team has that, too! India is the most famous team in cricket and you won’t want to miss them do their thing on the biggest stage.

How Fun is This Team? (9/10)

It’s India. Year after year they’re the best team on paper. With guys like Kohli, Dhoni, and Sharma, the batting power goes seemingly never ends. If you like cricket, and if you’re reading this that’s probably the case, you’re going to enjoy watching this team play.  On top of that, Hardik Pandya brings an extra flair to the scene that will liven up any match.

Best Case:

With India, it’s a trophy or bust in every major tournament they enter. This World Cup is no different. Expectations say it’s time for another World Cup and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that a team with Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Bhuvi Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah are more than capable of winning one.

Worst Case:

The weight of those expectations hold down this team that’s seemingly stacked at every position. A semi-finals or, even worse, finals loss to Pakistan is the absolute worst case scenario for this tournament. I think a diehard Indian fan would rather not even make the semi-finals than have that outcome.

Prediction:

With a lineup as deep and talented as India, it’s hard to see them slipping up enough this tournament to not earn a trip to the semifinals. Once there, it’s anything goes. That being said, if I could pick any team to win one match, on any given day, it’s very hard to pick against this India side.

Want to see exactly how far I have India progressing? Click here to see my full tournament breakdown!

England Roster Breakdown

England

ICC ODI RANKING: 1st

Batters/Fielders: Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (WK), Joe Denly, Joe Root, Jason Roy

Bowlers: Tom Curran, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid

All Rounders: Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, David Willey

Don’t Sleep On:

–Tom Curran: Tom’s success has been getting overlooked recently by his younger brother’s breakout IPL season, but that doesn’t mean Tom is a slouch. His 18 wickets in 13 matches are nothing to scoff at, especially when you consider the competition was Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies.

– Chris Woakes: The leader of England’s pace attack, Woakes must lead from the front. By taking early wickets, Woakes can put England on a favorable path. He’ll also be the one expected to hold it down at the death.

– Joe Root: It’s hard to say not to sleep on a player of Root’s caliber, but go with me here. Root is unquestionably a top four test batsmen in the world. With the rest of the English lineup seemingly taking a more T20 style approach to their batting, it will be up to Root to steady the ship and play the long game.

Needed to Make a Run:

– Jonny Bairstow: Can he keep his hot streak from the IPL going into a different format on a bigger stage? If so, England is going to be an absolute FORCE while batting.

–Jos Buttler: While Buttler isn’t having the same results as his fellow wicketkeeper, his ability to drop a 50 or 100 on you is only matched by a few others in the world. I don’t think it matters who’s behind the wicket, as England would be wise to keep both of these players in the lineup.

Key to the Cup:

– Ben Stokes: The all-rounder has been up and down this IPL season and can’t seem to find his consistency. England wants to make a deep run this tournament, and Stokes can be that difference maker. England has elite talent on both the batting and bowling side, but Stokes’ potential to be elite at both makes him a potential tournament changer.   

Why Should I Watch?

The host nation has won the past two World Cups, can England keep the streak going? Watching them and how they handle that pressure is one of the major storylines of this tournament. Morgan and his boys are ranked #1 in the world rankings, so they’re entering the tournament as favorites.

How Fun is This Team? (10/10)

They swing for the fences when attacking, almost to a reckless degree. Their bowling attack is strong but not overpowering, so expect them to score a lot and hold on for dear life when defending a chase.

Best Case

The World Cup trophy comes home to England for the first time! This is the only result that will satisfy English fans. This team is peaking at the right time and it’s golden ODI generation and playing style makes this tournament all or nothing.  

Worst Case

World Cup 2015 ring a bell, anyone? While this team is much stronger than that one, a similar result isn’t out of the question. While I think this team has what it takes to make a deep run, the expectation of winning the cup on home soil is a lot to handle.

Final Prediction

I expect a deep run from this England team. The batting attack is strong when it’s clicking and playing on their home soil will give them a similar boost it gave New Zealand four years ago.