What Will be India's Core in the World Cup 2023?

image-lmqnystwIndia have won the Asia Cup 2023 ahead of World Cup (Source: Twitter)

The men in blue are currently on a high after winning their 8th Asia Cup title. This will give a lot of confidence to the Indian players going into the World Cup. They are currently number 2 in the ICC ODI rankings and will face the Australians in home conditions to achieve the number 1 rank. With a lot of talented players in the squad it will be interesting to see who will be the regular pick in the eleven. 

This will test the management and coaches to see what will be the perfect combination going into the tournament. Even though we might have some regular picks in the side, there are a lot of options to choose between some players who have shown some promise. With only 16 days left until the tournament starts there is a lot of work to do to pick the perfect playing XI.


The Winning Formula: Analyzing India's Playing XI

image-lmqchzo5Department-wise Probable Playing XI

Looking at the Indian squad it is very interesting to see which players can fit in which position. These will be the perfect picks in my opinion.

Top Order

The top order going into the World Cup should not have as many changes. The duo of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have been great in the earlier matches. Rohit Sharma has found some form in the Asia Cup which is a huge positive for India. On the other hand Shubman Gill has just been phenomenal this season with some great performances. 

Virat Kohli is fixed at number 3 spot who has also found some good form in the game against Pakistan. The number 4 position might have been slightly tough to choose between Iyer and Rahul, but due to the recent performances and form KL Rahul deserves to play in that position.


Middle Order

The batter at number 5 has to be Ishan Kishan who has been in good form with 837 runs from his 23 ODI’s. As for the number 6 and 7 it should be Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya who bring that perfect balance to the team. These all rounders can make great contributions with both bat and ball and are terrific in the field as well.


Lower Order

 The lower middle and lower order might see some changes like we have seen in the Asia Cup. Even though there might be a debate between Shardul and Axar, looking at performances Shardul Thakur seems to be a better pick at number 8. The number 9 position has to go to man of the tournament Kuldeep Yadav due to his great performance in the Asia Cup with 9 wickets from 5 games. 

As for the last two spots it is fair to give it to Siraj and Bumrah. Even though leaving out Shami will be tough, Siraj has given amazing performances and Bumrah at the death will be a much more vital asset.


Conclusion

Overall we have chosen the best possible XI not only on their recent form, but also with respect to the conditions as well. There might be some good players that might be left out but those are the tough decisions the management has to make. There can still be a change between Shardul and Axar based on how they perform in the tournament. However this eleven can still get great results in the tournament due to the variety and batting depth that will be important.