What's in Store for India in the Next WTC Cycle

India start their first set of games in the next WTC in July, and will be having a few questions leading up to the commencement of the next cycle. Their team, with seven players passed 30, and Jasprit Bumrah about to turn 30 is loaded with players who could be close to or past their prime by the end of the next cycle. Rohit Sharma and Ashwin will be 38, Pujara and Rahane 37 and Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will be 36.

The question now is if India manage the next cycle with this same set of players or do they look for new players in a bid to make the impending transition process a lot more smoother. If India do start looking at a succession plan it will be interesting to see how they start with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. For captaincy options, there do not seem to be too many beyond Rohit Sharma with both Bumrah and Pant uncertain on when they could be back in Test Cricket.

For Virat Kohli, his replacement at number four too is uncertain. India do have Shreyas Iyer and Gill dropping down is an option. However, Gill has already proved to be a good opener in all formats and Iyer too has not settled in on his spot in Test Cricket with injuries continuously halting his progression. How long the pair play Test Cricket is another concern. Both Virat and Rohit are already being rested in T20 Cricket, but remain crucial parts of the side in all formats. If they do decide to pick a format to manage their workload India could face availability issues from both of them.

Another concern is the middle order. While Virat Kohli has been addressed, what does India do with Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. The pair only play Test Cricket, and have been a crucial part of the line-up for more than a decade. Both were dropped in the last cycle but are now back and look pretty solid yet again. However, with promising batters behind, India will be keen to try and get some of the youngsters into the set-up as well.

With both heading into the last phase of their careers, leaving them out could lead to a huge hole in the middle order with nearly 190 Tests of experience going out the door. Another question, which could possibly be the biggest and most concerning issue is the spin succession.

Over the last decade India have been unstoppable at home. In Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja they found two match-winners who compliment each other really well and make India look invincible on their own. The pair alone have tormented visiting sides and overseas too, India has hardly had to look past the pair to perform the role of the spinner overseas.

Their time too could be numbered with both heading into their final phases as well. Fitness has been a concern as well with Ashwin changing his action again due to some knee issues while Ravindra Jadeja has had his own share of injuries too in the last year. How much do the pair have left in them though is a concern. The pair together are often equivalent to the Anderson-Broad pair for England, and India will hope these two can go on to prove that they have a similar kind of longevity with the way they have contributed over the years.

Behind them though who are left. Axar Patel has done the job in India, but is still waiting for a chance overseas. Barring him, there is Kuldeep Yadav and Saurabh Kumar, both who are waiting for consistent opportunities. For now though, India will hope Ashwin and Jadeja continue to do the job for them for the years to come.