World Cup 2019: Mixture youth and experience will benefit India, reckons Kapil Dev

India have picked a 15-member squad which boasts of experienced players like Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit Sharma while the youngsters such as Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav were emerging as vital cogs in the side

The combination of youth and experience along with the presence of "unmatchable" duo of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli could help India lift their third World Cup, feels former captain Kapil Dev. The World Cup, which begins on May 30 in the UK, will see all 10 participating nations face each other in a round-robin format. India have picked a 15-member squad which boasts of experienced players like Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Shikhar Dhawan while the youngsters such as Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav were emerging as vital cogs in the side. “India has a great combination of youth and experience. In a way, they are more experienced than the other teams. They have the right balance -- four fast bowlers, three spinners and they have Virat Kohli and Dhoni,” Kapil Dev said. “Dhoni and Kohli have done extremely well for India. Both of them are unmatchable,” he added. The legendary all-rounder also hailed India's pace attack and said it will fare well in English conditions. “The four fast bowlers we have are fantastic, they are very good. I think the English conditions will help them swing the ball. Then players like Shami and Bumrah can bowl 145kmph, have swing and pace,” he said. Kapil, who has also tried his hand at coaching the India team in 1999-2000, predicted that the "Men in Blue' will reach the semifinals alongside hosts England and defending champions Australia. “I think India will definitely finish in the top four. After that, it will be really difficult. After the semifinals, a stroke of luck alongside personal and team performance will determine who goes forward,” he said.