This World Cup will have the te3am strategists play an impactful role

Every squad will have its designated captain and head coach to officially be responsible for the teams travails But few teams will also have some seasoned campaigners who will help the skipper with on and off field decisions vital to the teams causeIANS takes a look at the chief strategist in each team who are likely to play a pivotal role in their respective teams campaign in the showpiece eventMahendra Singh Dhoni IndiaThere cannot be a bigger example than India when it comes to the strategist in the team who is not the captain but is the heart and soul of the squad when it comes to decision makingMahendra Singh Dhoni who has led India to two World Cup triumphs T20 in 2007 50over in 2011 besides leading Chennai Super Kings to three Indian Premier League titles is a colossus the team cant do withoutTime and again skipper Virat Kohli and his band of boys have said in public that Dhonis inputs from behind the stumps are priceless and the key to Indias success in whiteball cricket in recent yearsThere were questions raised over Dhonis batting form but in the last few months the 37year old has shown his finishing abilities are just where they should be And with the wicketkeeping gloves he is as quick as anyone in the businessJustin Langer AustraliaThe head coach of Australia Justin Langer will have to get the team together inside the dressing room which in turn will reflect on the fieldLanger will be assisted by Ricky Ponting who will lend his invaluable experience to the side and also make sure that Steve Smith and David Warner become part of the leadership group seamlessly something that Langer had stressed onNot too long ago Australian cricket was rocked by the balltampering scandal leading to the oneyear suspension of then skipper Smith and his deputy WarnerThe defending champions have performed well since then especially in their Asia sojourn but with Smith and Warner reintegrating with the side current captain Aaron Finch will need a more experienced hand on his shoulders to ensure that the atmosphere within the team is in fine fettleEoin Morgan EnglandMorgans England is ranked No 1 in the world in oneday cricket and are bidding to win the 50over World Cup for the first timeEngland is hot favorites on home soil and though the team has the likes of Test captain Joe Root and experienced allrounder Ben Stokes in their ranks Captain Morgan is expected to lead from the front as he has done on many occasionsA limited over batsman par excellence lefthanded Morgan is a vital cog in Englands middle order who also has a cool head on his shoulders when it comes to marshaling his troopsFaf du Plessis South AfricaA hardasnails batsman and a captain who is as cleareyed as he can be Faf du Plessis will look to fill the void of AB de Villiers in the side and South Africa will look to him both as a batsman and captain who wins his players trust as much with forthrightness as he does with his decisive leadership and gritty batting skillsSarfraz Ahmed PakistanThe Pakistan cricket board kept faith in Sarfraz Ahmed despite the stumperbatsman recently getting suspended for making racist comments against a South African player This goes to show his importance in the side which is young and needs someone to guide themSarfrazs side surprised many by winning the 2017 Champions Trophy in England but since that achievement they have struggled to defeat the top teams The World Cup is the biggest stage to set things right and Sarfraz will look to do an encore of 2017Kane Williamson New ZealandOne of the worlds best and New Zealands No 1 batsman Kane Williamson is the leader and strategist of a side which has experience but not as much exposure as their 28year old skipper The Kiwis were runnersup in 2015 and Williamson will be hungry to prove the doubters wrong that Kiwis are just valiant losers after exiting in the semifinals of the World Cup on six occasionsJason Holder West IndiesThe West Indies are considered the dark horse in this years World Cup and Jason Holder will be the captain of the ship which has many big names who are wily characters tooChris Gayle 39 will be playing his fifth World Cup while Andre Russell will also be making a comeback to the team While they are both matchwinners in their own right all has not been well between them and the West Indies cricket board as they refused to represent their country on several occasions Holder will have to ensure that the team gets the best out of them both as players as well as leadersLasith Malinga Sri LankaSri Lanka are considered one of the weakest teams in the competition and they have not done this image any good by dropping established stars like Dinesh Chandimal from the World Cup party This makes veteran of many a battle Lasith Malinga a natural leader of the packMalinga helped Mumbai Indians win their record fourth title recently and despite Sri Lanka naming Dimuth Karunaratne as the captain who last played an ODI in 2015 35year old Malinga will be expected to play a vital role in plotting the teams journeyMashrafe Mortaza BangladeshBangladesh courted controversy recently when Shakib Al Hasan was not part of their team photo before they left for England One of the teams main weapons Shakib will form part of the leadership group along with Mashrafe Mortaza who will also have to ensure the likes of uncapped fast bowler Abu Jayed and recalled Mosaddek Hossain dont get affected by unnecessary controversies during the tournament as they look to stage upsetsMashrafe has been around for a long time and his passion is second to none which makes him the undisputed leader of this packRashid Khan AfghanistanThe promising Afghanistan side will look to Rashid Khan their most recognizable player and one of the best spinners in the world to deliver the goods and inspire the team to pull off upsetsRashid expressed his disappointment when Asghar Afghan was removed from captaincy two months before the World Cup but he will have to put all that behind and work closely with new skipper Gulbadin Naib to chart the teams pathCatch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates