World Cup 2019: 3 problems India might face with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dhawan’s injuries

When India defeated Australia on the June 9 by 36 runs it was a complete team performance with almost everyone chipping in, but still, a couple of players stood out. Shikhar Dhawan with the bat and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the ball. When India bats, all the focus is on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, occasionally on Hardik Pandya and Indian fans wait for MS Dhoni to come and finish off the innings.

Yet when it comes to ICC tournaments, it is Shikhar Dhawan who has been their standout batsman over the years since the Champions Trophy in 2013. Just like in batting, when it comes to bowling, the current No. 1 fast bowler in the world Jasprit Bumrah hogs the limelight and most of the teams are fearful of India’s spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzuvendra Chahal.

But very often it is Bhuvneshwar Kumar in his very unassuming ways is bailing India out of trouble, just like he did against Australia. He picked up a crucial wicket of Steve Smith and knocked over Marcus Stoinis for a duck off the very next ball to derail the opposition’s chase.

With Shikhar being ruled out of the tournament and Bhuvi set to miss a couple of matches due to tightness in his left hamstring, India will have to change their combination a bit.

Here we take you through the various combination Virat Kohli and management might try:

1. No left-right opening combination advantage

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar have been amongst one of the greatest opening pairs in limited overs cricket with 16 century partnerships. In fact, Matthew Hayden recently during one of his commentary stints rated them as the third best opening pair of all-time in the 50-over format. One major reason for India opening stand to work is the right-left combination which makes it very difficult for the bowlers to adjust their lines.

Also, there is a brilliant understanding between Rohit and Dhawan. More often than not, the southpaw is the aggressor which gives ample time for the former to settle down and then launch an assault on the opposition. Now with KL Rahul opening the innings along with Rohit takes away the left-right combination and it also forces Rohit to be the aggressor as we saw against Pakistan. This change in role could affect India’s batting strategy going ahead in the World Cup.

2. No. 4 debate resurfaces

When KL Rahul scored a century in the warm-up game against Bangladesh, the number four debate seemed to have settled down. But with him now opening the innings, the question has once again popped up mid-way through the World Cup. As of now, the team has been pretty flexible promoting Hardik Pandya at four as they have got off to brilliant starts.

But what if a couple of wickets fall early? Vijay Shankar is currently playing ahead of others thanks to his ability to bowl which worked against Pakistan. It will be interesting to see if the team management will back him at four if Indis loses early wickets in any of the matches going forward. Apart from him, MS Dhoni is also the option who can take his time to settle down and then play according to the situation.

3. Long tail in Bhuvi’s absence

Perhaps the easiest and like to like replacement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar is Mohammed Shami. The latter has been in outstanding form leading into the World Cup picking up 9 wickets against New Zealand in 4 matches and 5 wickets in the home series against Australia.

But the issue with Shami playing is India’s long tail. The team’s lower order contributing with the bat immensely important in the modern-day cricket. Bhuvi bats at number eight whenever he plays. This might open up an option of playing Ravindra Jadeja in the team as well. However, for that to happen, either Shami or one of the wrist spinners will have to sit out which will make the bowling look a tad weak.

~Written by Parth Parekh