AFP, New Delhi :
India boast the game’s undoubted superstar batsman in Virat Kohli but their bowling attack could hold the key to their hopes of World Cup glory. Despite their status as the game’s global powerhouse, India have only won the showpiece tournament twice, in 1983 and 2011.
But Kohli’s men, second behind England in the one-day international rankings, will start the tournament in England and Wales among the favourites alongside the host nation and defending champions Australia.
For all the focus on captain Kohli, the number one batsman in the world in the 50-over format and Test cricket, the ability of India’s seamers to exploit the conditions could be the most important factor.
Jasprit Bumrah, the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world, leads the pace battery alongside Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya.
Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal add variety to India’s attack. Former India skipper Rahul Dravid believes the tournament could be a high-scoring affair.
“I believe, having experienced some of the conditions in England last year with the A-team tour, it would be a high-scoring World Cup,” he told Star Sports.
“And in a high-scoring World Cup, having bowlers who can take wickets in the middle will be very important. I think India is lucky in that regard. “People like (Jasprit) Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal…. (India have) got bowlers who can take wickets.”
The 25-year-old Bumrah, with his ability to bowl yorkers at the death, has picked up 85 wickets in 49 ODI matches since making his international debut in January 2016.
