In the last couple of years, team India has beaten South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Australia in their own backyards, in white ball cricket. In fact, South Africa was beaten in every ODI competed for 100 overs. On the contrary, India faced a defeat in their backyard just before the world cup. However, that was understandable since India played to fix the world cup spots more than anything else, and one such show is not bad to reassess the game.
The World Cup 2019 Show
In the 2019 world cup though, there’s a different Indian team on display. The one oozing with the confidence, dynamic and balanced. Flexibility and Adaptability are the mantras of this team, and they’re truly living it. By the time India completed the fourth game, they lost two important players in Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. That did not impact their game though, as KL Rahul and Vijay Shankar were up to take the responsibility. With the bench strength and experience, they possess in the armory, cricket fraternity may not be surprised if India lifts the coveted trophy.
Strong Future
Gloves & Batting
MS Dhoni is the only player who may retire after the 2019 world cup. However, India would be least bothered. The talent of Rishabh Pant’s caliber is waiting in the ranks to occupy the gloveman’s duty after all. Top three are going strong and expected to keep their spots intake for the next 5 years. Likes of KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, and Shubman Gill are waiting in the ranks if the need arises. With a bit of confidence, Manish Pandey can sustain his spot at no.4.
Pace & Spin
The world’s no.1 Jasprit Bumrah isn’t retiring for the next 5 years, nor does Shami, Bhuvnesh or Umesh Yadav. Likes of Khalil, Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi are waiting to get their hands on the white rock. In Kuldeep and Chahal, India has most lethal spin duos, with Rahul Chahar and Shreyas Gopal waiting in the ranks.
Balancing Act
There is hardly an all-rounder as good as Hardik Pandya in the world cricket – barring Ben Stokes. He can turn the matches on its head with bat, bowl or athleticism in the field. The scary part is, he had just started his career, and looking to go stronger every match.
IPL – Player Churning Machine
Indian Premer League – IPL – is the best T20 leagues across the world. Playing in the IPL is just about exposure and experience, but that vital bit of handling pressure in the crunch moments. For years, the showpiece event has become the player churning machine for team India. Even if it produces at least one player every year, that’s more than enough for team India, to sustain their dominance over the world cricket for at least a decade.
If we sum up all these factors, it isn’t very hard to guess that the Indian era is on the rise, and may dominate the world cricket for at least next 5 years, if not a decade. And the world is anyway missing a dominant team after Australia lost its shine in the late 2000s. So, this may not be a bad thing for cricket anyway.
