The Indian team has had one of their best group stages in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 as compared to its previous editions. The team lost only one match in the group stage of 2019 ICC World Cup and has ended up topping the ICC World Cup 2019 Points Table. However, the reality is not as rosy and easy for the ‘Men in Blue’ as the team is struggling for form in the middle order, and the team combination ahead of the big knock-out stage is worrisome. ICC CWC 2019 Semi-Finals Schedule.

As India has topped the table and made a spot in the semi-finals of World Cup 2019, we at LatestLY, take you through the journey of Virat Kohli-led team in the showpiece tournament so far, and how has their batting and bowling units have fared in the group stage, ahead of the knock-out round, which begins on July 9. CWC 2019: Virat Kohli & Co. Feeling the Heat of ‘Win the Cup’ Messages Ahead of Semi-Finals Against New Zealand.

India’s Batting in WC 2019: The batting-unit barring the top order has largely failed in the Indian camp. Rohit Sharma has emerged as the highest run-scorer in the World Cup 2019 (so far), and only Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are the only other two batsmen to have breached the 300-run mark. India did face a couple of injury issues in the form of Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar; however, still, the batting still remains a big concern after the top 3.

India’s Batsmen Performance in WC Group Stage:

Sr. No. Player Name Matches Runs Highest Average 100s 50s
1. Rohit Sharma 8 647 140 92.42 5 1
2. Virat Kohli 8 442 82 63.14 0 5
3. KL Rahul 8 360 111 51.42 1 2

India’s Bowling in WC 2019: If the batting unit’s problems weren’t enough already, India’s bowlers haven’t stepped up to the expectations. The bowlers have bowled well collectively as a unit but haven’t really fired in crunch situations. Top Individual performances have got the Indian team through the league stages. No Indian bowler, other than Jasprit Bumrah has breached the 15-wicket mark, so far in CWC 2019. Most have including Kuldeep Yadav has struggled to stop the opposition outbursts. But with a big game at hand, i.e. semi-final, the bowlers need to step up, if India wants to lay their hands on the coveted trophy.

India’s Bowlers Performance in WC Group Stage:

Sr. No. Players Name Matches Wickets Best Average Econ. S/R
1. Jasprit Bumrah 8 17 4/55 19.52 4.48 26.1
2. Mohammed Shami 4 14 5/69 13.78 5.48 15.0
3. Yuzvendra Chahal 7 11 4/51 34.45 5.92 34.9

Except a shock-loss (yes shocking, given the manner the Indian team played for NRR and not a win), against England, India has hardly found any hiccups as a team. However, the Men in Blue did have a few tight games, but then they have largely been a dominant force in the 2019 Cricket World Cup so far. With only a loss in their 9 matches, India topped the league stage of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

 Road to Semi-Finals: ICC World Cup 2019 Points Table

Rank Team M W L T N-R T NRR
1 India 9 7 1 0 1 15 0.809

The expectations will be more on the Indian side, given how the team has played in the tournament so far. Both New Zealand and India will be meeting in this World Cup for the first time as their league match was washed out. A lot has happened since then, and the tournament has only got more exciting. It will be interesting to see two of the top teams in Cricket World Cup 2019 going at each other in the first semi-final match on July 9.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2019 11:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).