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The Indian cricket team have had a very professional world cup so far, winning all the matches they played except the washed out game against New Zealand. The bowling and fielding have been up to the mark with every match throwing up a new hero. Except for a drop catch here or there, the fielding unit has shown great intensity, even the fast bowlers who in fact have been very safe catchers.The bowling, revolving around Jasprit Bumrah has fired when needed most and has generally been great at executing plans and sticking to good lines and lengths. If there’s anything that is slightly concerning, it is the batting and more so, the middle order dilemma. Pretty much the only box left un-ticked, the No.4 slot is still up for grabs due to KL Rahul’s promotion to the top of the order thanks to Shikhar Dhawan’s unfortunate injury. Vijay Shankar seemed to be the perfect fit for No.4 because of the fact that he provides that 6th bowler option too. However though, in the 3 matches so far, Shankar has seemed to struggle a bit, especially in terms of strike rotation and just playing second fiddle to Virat Kohli. Taking into consideration the fact that the summers are starting to get warmer in England, there will be no surprises if Vijay Shankar is dropped. The reason: the warmer it gets, the lesser the need for that extra seam bowling option. Vijay Shankar has been given a decent run but he has failed to convert his starts and that could prompt the team management and think tank to opt for a proper batsman in either Dinesh Karthik or the young, explosive Rishabh Pant. What this also adds is a new dimension to the middle order because both Pant and Karthik are sweet timers of the ball and generally don’t take much time to get the scoreboard ticking. Apart from this, Virat can also use both these batsmen as floaters in the batting line up and hence making it easier to play various match scenarios. Vijay Shankar might still be given an extended run but if not, Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik are definitely going to get a game or two.

(Image Courtesy: Dainik Bhaskar)