[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Perennial heavyweights India have been ticking over nicely in ODIs for a good few years, and despite the shock of losing to Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final and sliding from 2-0 up to a 3-2 series defeat at home to Australia this spring, they remain firm tournament contenders. Few surprises in their squad selection, which is built around a seam attack of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, spin options of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, and a deep batting line-up that begins with the holy trinity of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, and continues down through one IPL star after another. If there was a problem at all for India in picking this fifteen, it was the sheer embarrassment of riches at their disposal: all-rounder Vijay Shankar has been snubbed despite featuring regularly this year, and explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has also been overlooked despite a brilliant IPL campaign.

India have two major enemies at the 2019 World Cup: English conditions, and pressure of expectation. Last summer was an important learning curve for the men from the subcontinent, but Kohli - who is unquestionably the talisman of this side - still only has one ODI century from twenty-two innings in England, despite an average of 54.46. His ability to adapt to this green and pleasant land will be a key factor in the campaign, and if he does so, then the hopes and fears of the Bharat Army will cease to be a weight on his shoulders. Their maiden World Cup triumph came on English soil under Kapil Dev in 1983, and with the exception of early exits in '92 and '07, they've been there or thereabouts ever since. It should be no different this summer.

Highest World Cup total: 413-5 vs Bermuda (Port of Spain, 2007)
Lowest World Cup total: 125 vs Australia (Centurion, 2003)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Sachin Tendulkar, 2278 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Zaheer Khan & Javagal Srinath, 44 wickets


Tournament Schedule: South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, West Indies, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka