For India to have a realistic chance of winning the world t20, the batsmen will have to have a great tournament and the bowling will have to play to its strength. It is easy to sit in a hotel room and create scenarios but having given it some thought, this is what I think represents India’s best chance of winning it.

I believe India’s best top order player (as in the top three) is Virat Kohli and the best finishers in t20 cricket are MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. Ideally the batting order should reflect that. That is why I believe this order could serve India the best. Dhawan, Kohli, Raina, Yuvraj/Rohit (at 4/5), Dhoni (again 4/5/6 flexible), Jadeja, Ashwin, Mishra, Bhuvaneshwar, Shami.

Raina has been at his best in t20 at no 3 and with a really strong batting order to follow, he can have the freedom to play aggressively as can Dhawan. The solidity that this aggressive approach at the top will need will come from Kohli who is ideal to bat through the innings at his pace.

I think this batting order is as good as any in the tournament if the batsmen are given the licence to play with freedom. Ideally number eight downwards shouldn’t matter but Ashwin is fine. Once you have a top seven that you think can win you the game you pick the best bowlers irrespective of their other skill. If the wickets in Dhaka are going to be slow turners, then India could well use upto 14-15 overs of spin and Mishra has an excellent t20 record on pitches that give just a bit of help.

The death bowling could become an issue but I see a spinner bowling the early overs so that Dhoni can have options of both seam and spin towards the last five overs. And I don’t think a third seamer is going to provide a match winning option anyway. The other option is to play Stuart Binny with his all round skills but I still think Mishra might give wickets at key moments.

With Jadeja, Raina, Kohli, Yuvraj and Rohit, this will be an excellent fielding side and remember Rahane and Binny are top fielders too should they need to be on the field.

I don’t think India start favorites but this line up could provide the best chance give the squad.