World Cup 2019 Team Profile, India: A test of Kohli's tactical acumen

His manic consistency has already put him among the pantheon of greats but the World Cup in England will be Virat Kohli’s hour of reckoning in his bid to create a lasting legacy as India’s captain. The first Indian captain to win a Test series on Australian soil, Kohli will be leading a team which has its own share of worries but is not short of game-changers, a must in a big ticket tournament.

Who bats at No 4? Is Kedar Jadhav good enough? Third pacer or an extra all-rounder? Kuldeep or Chahal or both? The World Cup will be much about Kohli, the captain as much as it is about Kohli, the batsman. A World Cup victory will put Kohli in a league of his own and even those sceptical about his tactical nous will have no other option but to grudgingly doff their hats at his heady achievements.

Without doubt, the Indian captain will hold the key during the seven-week period where he is expected to cross 11,000 runs and also add a few more hundreds to the 41 he has already added to his kitty. With the pitches expected to be as flat as pancakes, Rohit Sharma‘s flamboyance may fetch him a few ‘Daddy Hundreds’, maybe even a fourth double, if the vice-captain gets going.