Analysis of India's Cricket World Cup Team
What will be the make-up of Indi's Cricket World Cup squad? Where do the strengths and weaknesses lie? Are India justifiably favourites? If you’re a fan of online cricket betting then you’ll be happy to know you can back India at incredible odds of 3.3 here at Pure Win!
Check out our full pre-World Cup analysis of India below.
Strengths
India have always had a good all-round side, but they definitely have some stronger suits to their game. Let’s take a look at the best elements of their squad.
Top Order Batting
They have a few! The obvious place to start is their top three - in Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, they have one of the most intimidating and imperious opening batting combinations in world cricket. Indeed, one could argue it's the strongest India have looked for years at the top of the order.
In new skipper Sharma, they have the fourth-highest run maker in Twenty20 World Cup history and an experienced campaigner whose career spans back to 2007. He had a solid campaign in the Asia Cup - averaging 33.25 at a strike rate of 151.13. He will provide the perfect bedrock for a trophy tilt if he can maintain those figures.
KL Rahul has finished in the top three of the top-scoring batters for the last four Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. He's proven to be a run machine in the domestic game but comes into the World Cup off the back of a disruptive injury.
The inimitable Virat Kohli comes in at number three - he follows Rohit Sharma in at five as the highest run-makers in T20 World Cup history. His stats are eye-rubbing in this tournament - he averages 76.81 from 19 innings, including six half centuries. He had struggled for form over recent months but looked back to his best in the Asia Cup.
Death Bowling
Jasprit Bumrah is not only India's best bowler across all formats but also masterful at the final stages of an innings. His ability to mix up his deliveries and unerring accuracy in his yorkers make him the most valuable asset in India's bowling stables. A back injury kept him out of the Asia Cup, but he is expected to be available for the biggest cricketing event of the year.
They can also rely on the expertise of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who ended the Asia Cup as the competition's top wicket-taker. His expeditions mean he jumps from 11th to 7th in the international Twenty20 bowling rankings.
A special shout out, too, to Asrhdeep Singh. The youngster is fast establishing his name as an economical option at the end of an innings. He isn't a slam dunk for a starting spot, but he could be one to look out for when betting on T20 World Cup matches involving India.
Weaknesses
While the top three in the batting line-up is a definite plus point for India, there are some concerns surrounding the middle order. The overriding worry for Indian fans, though, is the apparent big game phobia that is innate within the team - at least on recent evidence. Let’s dive into those weaknesses in more detail.
Middle Order Brittleness
While they have strength at the top of the order, there are genuine concerns surrounding some of their finishers.
There is a consensus that Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, and Ravi Ashwin don't have the discipline when the going gets tough to drag their team through the mire.
Wicketkeeper Pant is enduring an uncharacteristically tough run of form - as of mid-September 2022, his average for the year was at 25.91, with only one half-century. Deepak Hooda, who is expected to deputise for the injured Ravindra Jadeja in the World Cup, had a poor Asia Cup - scoring just 19 runs across two crucial matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, both of which ended in defeat for India. Ravi Ashwin is sometimes elevated to the top of the order to get the run rate going, but he isn't the dynamic batsman of old.
Hardik Pandya is one exception - the Gujarat Titans skipper captained his new franchise to an IPL title in their debut campaign and has been flying ever since. He is seen as the finisher these days, much like legend MS Dhoni, but he will have to be at the top of his game to support a brittle-looking middle order.
Big Stage Phobia
There is no shying away to India's Twenty20 World Cup record - it isn't good enough for a team of their quality.
After winning the inaugural tournament back in 2007, they have endured a long dry run. Inexplicably, four of the six preceding tournaments saw India fail to make it out of the group stages.
There is a lot of pressure on new skipper Rohit Sharma and the leadership group - many of whom had a part to play in those failures - to ensure the minimum expectation of advancement from the Super 12s is met.
The Indian performance in the Asia Cup once more exposed their fallibility as a tournament-playing team - can they break those shackles in Australia?
Are India Justified As Joint Favourites?
You would be a brave punter to back them on recent evidence! Odds of 3.3 are among the best you'll find in the online betting sphere, but the price feels skinny.
On paper, India have the best top order in the tournament and they boast among the best collective form since Sharma took over as captain from Kohli at the end of last year.
They are favourites for a reason, but their performance in the Asia Cup and a poor record in recent Twenty20 World Cup tournaments make them hard to recommend at the slated price. Make sure you check our cricket betting tips page for all the insight ahead of the World Cup.
