India is hosting the ICC World Twenty20 2016 tournament, and the hosts will enter the tournament as the strongest contender to lift the trophy. Almost every Cricket Pundit feels the same and has named India as his/her favourite for the tournament. And, why not? India has kept its top spot in the ICC T20 Ranking, won 10 out of the last 11 matches, whitewashed Australia in their home conditions and the recently won the First T20 Asia cup. The team formation is looking quite settled. Dhoni and his boys will be high on confidence and energy, and they won’t settle for anything less but the Trophy.

Here, Let us look at Team India’s Squad for the World cup, their strengths and if there are still any weak links.

Squad:

The 15-men squad features the same names that were in the Asia Cup. Captain Dhoni expressed many times that for the playing eleven, he would like to field the same winning combination, which has been playing since the T20 series in Australia.

MS Dhoni (c)(wk), Virat Kohli (vc) , Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina.

Strengths

Batting:

• Though Rohit Sharma struggled a little towards the end of the Asia cup on the green pitches of Bangladesh, he is still the Man in Form. In home conditions, he is the most dangerous batsman.

• Virat Kohli is in the form of his life.

• While he struggled during the early stages of the Asia Cup, Yuvraj Singh finally found his timing towards the end and showed us a glimpse of the vintage-Yuvraj.

• In the final of the Asia Cup, Dhoni responded to his critics with his bat and showed the world that he is still the best, by scoring 20 run of just 6 balls with the help of 2 massive sixes.

• We all have seen what young Hardik Pandya can do with his bat. He has won the confidence of his captain and he is more than capable of playing the hard-hitting cameo towards the end of an innings.

• If situation demands it, Jadeja at no. 8 and Ashwin at no. 9 can also provide their contribution with the bat to the team.

Bowling:

India’s Bowling department, especially towards the death overs, was always a matter of concern. But this time, the Bowling Department is a strength for team India.

• Ashish Nehra and the young sensation Bumrah have been successful in giving the early breakthroughs continuously in the recent games.

• Considering the Indian conditions, Dhoni will use Ashwin in the first six overs, which has proved to be golden for India in the past couple of years.

• Along with Ashwin, Jadeja will also try to exploit the spinner-friendly conditions in India.

• Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina will also be ready to roll their fingers whenever the captain needs it.

Home Condition:

Defeating India in its home-ground has always been a difficult job. With India in such a good form, it will be even harder for the rival team. The home condition will always be an extra benefit for Dhoni’s team throughout the tournament.

The weak Links:

Though India is looking unstoppable, there are a few issues that may be of concern for team India.

• Shikar Dhawan: Though Shikhar Dhawan bagged the man of the match title in the Asia cup final for his 60 runs, his inconsistency still may be a matter of concern for the host.

• Suresh Raina: Suresh Raina has not got much opportunity to test himself in the last few games and the games he played were far from his best. But considering the Indian condition, he can be expected to return to his form very soon.

• Mohammed Shami: Mohammed Shami is coming back from injury after a year. He hasn’t got any match practice and it is not yet sure how fit he is. If either Nehra or Bumrah get injured in the middle of the tournament, playing with Shami can become a gamble for India.

• Untested Bench: The untested bench strength of India may cause a problem if anyone from the playing eleven gets injured.

Apart from those minimal weak links, India is looking invincible and will try their best to give their fans the 2nd T20 World Cup.