World Cup 2019 | India has great balance of youth and experience, says Kapil Dev

World Cup 2019 | India has great balance of youth and experience, says Kapil Dev

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Kapil Dev has stated that the Indian team has a great balance of youth and experience in the 15-man squad for the World Cup starting May 30 in England and Wales. He also predicted that India will reach the semi-finals at least along with the hosts England and defending champions Australia.

India’s World Cup squad has proven batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni followed by the likes of KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik. The second ranked ODI team also consists of three all-rounders in Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Vijay Shankar. The bowling attack, which has traditionally been India’s weakness, is no slouch this time with the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar coupled with the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Former India captain Kapil Dev feels that India are a superior team over others in the tournament.

"India has a great combination of youth and experience. In a way they are more experienced than the other teams. They have the right balance -- four fast bowlers, three spinners and they have Virat Kohli and Dhoni," he told reporters at a promotional event on Wednesday, reported PTI.

Dhoni can soak in all the pressure in crunch situations and still possess the ability to single-handedly finish games. The skipper Kohli is currently ranked as the number one batsman in both ODI and Tests and his ability to score runs is unmatched. Kapil singled out the two players.

"Dhoni and Kohli have done extremely well for India. Both of them are unmatchable," he said.

Jasprit Bumrah has only gone up the ranks to become the world’s best pace bowler in the limited overs setup and is also ranked first in ODIs. Mohammed Shami’s recent exploits in the shorter formats have also increased his reputation, as pointed out by Kapil. 

"The four fast bowlers we have are fantastic, they are very good. I think the English conditions will help them swing the ball. Then players like Shami and Bumrah can bowl 145 kmph, have swing and pace," he expressed.

Each team will play nine matches, one each against every opponent and the top four will head into the semi-finals. Kapil went ahead with the popular choice of India, Australia and England who he feels will enter the knockout stage.

"I think India will definitely finish in the top four. After that it will be really difficult. After the semifinals, stroke of luck alongside personal and team performance will determine who goes forward," explained the 1983 World Cup winning captain.

"England, Australia and India are the top three teams. These teams have more strength than the others. New Zealand or West Indies can emerge as the surprise package," he added. 

He also dismissed all discussions surrounding the crucial number four spot by reiterating that in modern day cricket, batsmen are capable of playing in any position.

"After watching the T20 games you don't know who is the opener or who is number four. It is very difficult to pick a person, it depends on the mindset of the player. Dhoni went before Yuvraj in Mumbai (2011 World Cup final). In the last 10 years cricket has changed. Nowadays apart from the openers, anyone can play at the number four spot," explained the former India coach.

The 60-year-old has amassed 9031 runs while picking 687 wickets in 357 international matches across formats. Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, has only played 11 Tests, 45 ODIs and 38 T20Is. The Baroda player has often been compared to Kapil himself due to their similar roles but the latter discouraged such comparisons.

"You should not put pressure on Hardik Pandya. He has enough talent, let him play his natural game. I don't like anybody being compared to anyone because that puts pressure on that player,” he signed off.

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