India World Cup squad: Key questions

The No.2 side on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings are fairly settled, and go into the tournament in England and Wales, which starts on 30 May, as one of the favourites. However, there are a few questions that remain.

1. India's batting has been solid in recent times. Virat Kohli tops the batting rankings, with Rohit Sharma behind him and Shikhar Dhawan in the top 15. However, the team's Achilles heel remains the No.4 position in the line-up. Numerous candidates have auditioned for the role, but most have struggled to make a lasting mark.

2. Rohit and Dhawan have forged a formidable opening pair over many years, and are guaranteed starters at the World Cup. But recent form has been a mild concern. Should they fail to get going or if injury strikes, India might need the services of someone else up the order.

3. India have two fantastic seam-bowling all-rounders in Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar, the latter having creditably stepped up when Pandya was unavailable through injury or suspension. With both in the mix, the team has a happy headache.

4. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have emerged as the two most in-form pace bowlers for India heading into the tournament. Bhuvneshwar Kumar too has been in reasonably good form, but India is likely to include another pace-man in the squad for cover.

5. Through consistent performances in 2019, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has proved his worth all over again and is a guaranteed starter for India. Yet, India might want to have the option to change things around owing to the length of the tournament and consider a second keeping option.