Who will replace Dhoni for 2023 World Cup? Can India win with this Playing XI?

sushantsolty

To be world champions, you must have a champion team. And what is a champion team? A team with no major weaknesses, or at least with fewer weaknesses than other teams in the same competition.

At this World Cup, India was a champion team with just one glaring weakness. And as luck would have it, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dismissed early in the all-important semifinal, an uncommon occurrence these days. That resulted in this weakness being exposed – the middle order was India’s Achilles heel and New Zealand exploited that expertly.

However, now that the World Cup is over, what does India need to do to make sure their ODI team continues to be strong?

1.Prithvi Shaw/ Shikhar Dhawan

The left-hander’s(Shikhar Dhawan) campaign lasted just two games due to an unfortunate thumb injury but he did show his class in ICC tournaments again with a match-winning ton against Australia. He will definitely be in the future plan of India. When it comes to ICC event, Shikhar is a Gabbar and can demolish any bowling attacks. His absence was felt in that crunch semifinal. He is a reliable opener for India as he easily converts fifty in ton.

Prithvi Shaw is exceptional against the quicks but has to work on the inswingers and the wrong ones thrown at him by leggies .If India finds a fine new Left-hander who can match Shaw’s capabilities then he will be preferred over Shaw for being a left handed batsman.

2. Rohit Sharma(VC)

The ‘Hitman’ became the first batsman in history to slam five centuries in a single World Cup edition but he will be despondent after his semi-final failure. Fell just short of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record tally of 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup.

Unlike past, he has become a consistent scorer for India in ODIS. He might be handed Captaincy too seeing his successful reign in IPL. He will turn 36 in next WC but he will have plenty to show the magic or maybe the triple ton.

3.Virat Kohli(C)


The champion who would be the most senior pro of this Indian team with about 45 to 50 ODI centuries and 14–15k ODI runs under his belt . He will still be the fulcrum of the indian batting order .The India skipper barely played a poor innings in the tournament before the semi-final shocker but uncharacteristically failed to convert any of his five half-centuries into a ton.
4.Shubman Gill/ KL Rahul/Shreyas Iyer

Two half-centuries and a ton were a decent contribution from KL Rahul who opened the innings alongside Rohit following the injury to Shikhar Dhawan. He too failed to fire in the crunch clash.

KL Rahul is a classy player. He has a good temperament and presence of mind. He bats in a style which is similar to Kohli. I am hyped up and excited when I see him in the crease. He surely will be a vital aspect of India’s future.

Shubman is a very solid middle order batsman, very confident and determined individual . Glimpses of his innings against Pakistan in the semis are still there in my head . He will permanently solve our national problem of whom to play at no. 4 and cement himself at that position . The team would become less Kohli-centric and over dependence on Kohli could get reduced .

Shreyas Iyer is a bright prospect too. He has perhaps not enjoyed the best of starts to his international career but his form in the Indian Premier League in the last two seasons suggests he is starting to adapt to top tier competition. Does have two fifties in five ODI innings and could be the answer to the No.4 conundrum.
5. Rishab Pant(wk)
Very Destructive wicket-keeper Batsman in home conditions. A left hander in the middle order is always very crucial . Yuvraj played that role for India for many years . Pant could be the next .

6. Krunal Pandya

A left arm orthodox who can bat is a must in Indian conditions and I don’t see any other better option other than the proven Krunal.

7. Hardik Pandya

Didn’t have a vintage World Cup yet finished with three scores in the 40s and seven wickets. Explosive with the bat and crafty with the ball, Pandya provides acceleration at the end of an innings with a strike-rate of 115 and 154 in T20s, with a knack of taking key wickets and keeping things tight. A player to build the new era around.
He will be an experienced all – rounder by that time and will have crucial impact on the world cup .He will be our pinch hitter and Match finisher . While in bowling Bumrah could take the new ball along with Bhuvi , Pandya would play an important role as the 3rth or 4th seamer and he will give the luxury of having 6 bowlers to the captain .

8. Bhuvi


He will lead the Indian bowling department . I don’t see Kohli’s hot aggressive habits go down with age , so , we do need a calm vice captain who will aide our champion captain when situations go tough in the field . Bhuvi will be our death bowler specialist with Bumrah .

9.Yuzvender Chahal/ Shreyas Gopal

Chahal has tasted plenty of success in IPL as well as International Cricket. He will be the leading leg spinner in 2023 world cup with his experience and maturity. He has been an integral part of Indian team throughout the successful journey. I hope he will be a more competitive and wicket taking bowler in near future.
Another player applying his trade with India A against Sri Lanka this summer is Shreyas Gopal. He has made his name in the IPL taking big-name wickets at key moments. Averages under 18 in the shortest format. Can be handy with the bat having hit four first-class centuries but his bowling needs work first.
10. Kuldeep Yadav

I don’t see any wrist spinner more specifically a Chinaman left arm slow unorthodox bowler of Kuldeep’s ability enter into the national scenes to challenge Kuldeep in these 5 years . He is an obvious pick .

11. Jaspreet Bumrah


The No1 ODI bowler in the world was at his very best in the World Cup and excelled equally with the new ball and in the death overs. Picked up 18 wickets overall while going at an economy-rate of only 4.41 runs an over.Bumrah, ranked No 1 in ODIs, has plenty of years left in him. He is the most exciting Indian pacer since Zaheer Khan.

Bowling, Indian cricket’s eternal worry, thankfully seems to be in a good place. As India’s young players get fitter and stronger, a lot of them want to bowl pace. And with Jasprit Bumrah as the hero to look up to, this department is likely to be well stocked for a while.

What’s you view on this? Do you think it needs some change? And more importantly, Will India be able to win the world Cup?