Team India is one of the Favourite teams for World Cup

Team india is Favourite for World Cup 2011
Possibly for the first time in the history of the ICC’s marquee global event, the cricket World Cup, subcontinental giants India can claim to be the favourites to win the crown. They are bidding to be the first team ever to break the host nation’s jinx and bring the coveted trophy to the financial superpower of the cricketing world.

In the larger context of the sport itself, it is indeed crucial that this World Cup pans out well. Ever since the ICC copped a huge amount of criticism for the way the previous edition was conducted in the Caribbean, they are desperate to set things right. Needless to say, the best possible outcome they could hope for is that the home team does well; and when that team happens to be India, success would mean massive revenues as well. Also, with the interest in 50-over format of the game inexorably waning since the advent of the T20 version, this World Cup is an acid test to the format’s longevity, especially since popularity in the subcontinent is crucial to its health.

Coming back to India’s chances, South Africa, who are in the same group as the hosts, seem to be their strongest competitors, with Sri Lanka, Australia and England not far behind. Expectations are sky-high, and they have the squad to match them. They sit atop the ICCTtest rankings, and glory here will, in all probability, give them the numero uno status in the 50-over version as well. Their recent form at home has been brilliant, whitewashing the hapless Kiwis 5-0 in December, and they will draw a lot of positives from their recent 2-3 away loss to the Proteas as well.

Batting:

Only the very foolish would bet against a batting lineup that reads as follows – Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Raina, Dhoni & Yusuf Pathan. The rest of the competing nations really struggle to match up to this starcast, and in subcontinental conditions, simply an in-form batting unit should be a clincher for India.

The top 3 is really an unmatchable triumvirate, and though India haven’t had the services of all 3 together for an awfully long time, their return promises an assured start almost every time. India have had major issues with their top-order in the series against the Proteas, but those should now be resolved. Such has been the form of Sachin Tendulkar in the test arena that he has played just the two ODIs since his record-shattering double hundred way back in February 2010, and yet is a shoo-in as the main man for the World Cup. Gautam Gambhir too has been performing well, with two scintillating hundreds in the series against New Zealand, and will return to the pivotal No. 3 role. If anyone, it is Virender Sehwag who needs a good outing with the bat very quickly, and we all know the damage a violent innings from this man can have on the opposition’s spirits.

Yuvraj and Dhoni form the core of the middle-order, and while neither player is exactly in the form of his life, there is no major cause for concern either. Yuvraj Singh has had a lean patch of sorts, averaging under 30 over the past year and a half, but should derive some confidence from the fifty he scored in tough conditions against the Proteas. However, he should revel in the home conditions, and will find the shorter boundaries to his liking as well. Besides, his slow left-arm bowling is far too valuable an option as the fifth bowler for Yuvraj to be benched.

Like Yuvraj, MS too hasn’t been at his best in 2010, but his tactical acumen and the calmness he brings to the table in crunch games is to die for. Injury concerns have been raised over his fingers and back, but with no backup keeper named in the squad, he is expected to be fit throughout the grueling campaign.

Until a few months ago, the No. 7 slot was up for grabs. Yusuf Pathan, though, has since stamped his authority in such an emphatic manner that Dhoni has claimed he has the confidence that a game can be won in the last 10 overs chasing from absolutely any situation. He has now scored 2 devastating hundreds and a fifty in his last 4 innings, and his offspin will prove crucial as well, since India will probably opt to go in with the lone frontline spinner.

Which now brings us to the biggest debate that rages in the mind of skipper MS. Such has been the form of young Virat Kohli that he is currently ranked World No.2 in the ODI batting charts, and is by far India’s top scorer over the last 12 months. Under normal circumstances, it would almost be sacrilege to bench a player in that kind of form, but Suresh Raina’s track record, team composition, his slow off-spin bowling and Dhoni’s confidence in him might yet conspire to just about deny Kohli a deserved spot in the XI. Raina can slot in as a lower-order slogger, as he doesn’t need too much of a sighter to get going, whereas Kohli is more the innings-builder type. Kohli’s inclusion would mean him batting at four with Yuvraj and Dhoni pushed down one spot, and would require Dhoni to revisit his former destructive avatar to make the most of the death overs.

Bowling:

India’s bowling, that has for generations been its Achilles heel, finally has in Zaheer Khan, a reliable spearhead to the pace attack. Not only does he bring to the table his metronomic accuracy and ability to pick up wickets with almost every spell, but the younger fast bowlers in the Indian ranks seem to excel with his assuring presence at mid-on.

Likewise, Harbhajan Singh has developed into an important senior presence in the side to guide the younger spinners. There was a time when he seemed to have lost his mojo and kept bowling flatter trajectories in an attempt to restrict shotmaking, but he has since regained his confidence and is at his best when giving the ball sufficient flight. He doesn’t pick wickets at the prolific rate that he used to, but the pressure he maintains helps bowlers operating from the other end to do some damage.

India have traditionally fielded two spinners to go with a pair of seamers when playing at home, but this might be the time when they make that transition once and for all to 3 fast men and the lone spinner. Not only does the presence of Yuvraj, Yusuf, Raina and Sehwag afford Dhoni with multiple backup options should Harbhajan have an off day, but India does boast of some decent depth in their pace bowling arsenal. Besides, with most World Cup games being day-night encounters, and given Dhoni’s penchant for losing tosses, the Indian spinners might find themselves having to contend with late evening dew, especially in the northern regions of the country in the early part of the tournament. Gripping the ball might be a concern, and, despite the subcontinental tracks, tweakers might end up struggling. This means Ravichandran Ashwin and Piyush Chawla may well end up warming the benches, with Ashwin, who has progressed well over the past year, favourite to be called upon ahead of surprise pick of the squad Chawla, if Harbhajan is indisposed.

The fast bowling options to back up Zaheer are Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel. Praveen Kumar is rated higher in limited overs cricket for his control and death-bowling ability, so we can expect either Nehra or Munaf to stay on the sidelines. Nehra has, until recently performed with distinction during the PowerPlays and slog over, but Munaf performed quite brilliantly against both New Zealand and South Africa. His ability to come on first change and stifle the runs makes him a slight favourite ahead of the veteran Nehra.

Squad List:

MS Dhoni (c & wk), Virender Sehwag (vc), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir,Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Support Staff:

Head coach – Gary Kirsten, Mental conditioning coach – Paddy Upton, Fitness trainer – Ramji Srinivasan, Physiotherapist – Nitin Patel, Masseur – Ramesh Mane, Performance analyst – C.K.M. Dhananjai, Bowling consultant – Eric Simons

Likely XI:

Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel

Players to watch:

Sachin Tendulkar: The less said about the man, the better. The legend has achieved absolutely everything the world of cricket has to offer him and then some. Yet there is one box still to be ticked, winning the World Cup. The man has extended his career with resounding success when people were writing him off a couple of years ago possibly for precisely this reason. Who’s to stop him from getting what he wants?

Zaheer Khan: The Indian bowling has far too many off days for the fans’ liking, but the one man who can be counted upon every time is Zaheer Khan. With totals in excess of 300 expected on a regular basis on flat tracks with short boundaries, sometimes what matters is the bowler who holds his nerve in the end. India have precisely the man for the job in Zaheer.

Dark Horse:

Yusuf Pathan: The Baroda bludgeoner is in such prime form that he backs himself to hit each and every ball in his half out of the park. Earlier in his stop-start career he seemed to lack the patience to wait for the bad balls to be put away. Now, though, he has worked on his temperament and come out as a far more dangerous player. One berserk innings of his can finish things off in a hurry, and if he starts striking it big, the fans in the stands better beware!

Schedule:

India have a couple of warm-up games before the serious action begins, against Australia and New Zealand on the 13th and 16th respectively, in which they will look make the tough choices between Raina and Kohli, & Munaf, Praveen and Nehra. They face Bangladesh in the tournament opener on the 19th of February at Mirpur, a match they will look to win to start things off on a positive note. Things may yet prove to be tricky here, and they will be wary of their neighbours for one needs to look as far back as just 4 years to know what damage can be inflicted by this kind of game first up. Yet, the long, drawn-out schedule of the group stages makes that particular eventuality next to impossible.

This is followed by a match against England on the 27th at the Chinnaswamy in Bangalore. This was the game initially scheduled to be played at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata but had to be relocated due to the incomplete renovation of the stadium that has left the Cricket Association of Bengal red-faced and scrambling. Ireland and Netherlands next face India on the 6th and the 9th of March. These two fairly comfortable games against lesser opponents should allow India to settle into a rhythm and brace themselves for the tougher matches to come.