India have miles to go before World Cup can be theirs
India’s position as favourites for the World Cup has been rudely shaken by the inability of its bowlers to defend a massive total of 338 against England. The team has several shortcomings which cannot be addressed to at this point of time. They simply have to hope that their batsmen fire on all cylinders and get a total which can cover up for India’s poor bowling and fielding. As Dhoni wryly put it: ``If you have to score massive totals each time you go to bat in order to win, things are indeed going to be very tight.’’
What makes India favourites in the eyes of many people is because they are playing in home conditions in which their batsmen and bowlers excel. The team has done nothing wrong in the last few years and boasts of the best possible combination. The team has also proved to be adept at handling pressure situations. Their biggest plus point is captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose stoic presence does not betray the pressure he may be going through. He does not get excited or overawed by situations. Or at least that is what he conveys by singular lack of display of any emotion. And what is more, there is not better gambler than Dhoni in World cricket. Like a true gambler, he does not hesitate to make bold moves which at times may look ill-logical but look inspirational for the result it has invariably produced. The Indian team under him has been able to recover from impossible situations and often snatched victory from jaws of defeat.
India’s tied game against England however exposed many chinks in India’s armour. After having piled up an imposing total of 338 runs, the mindset of the captain was too defensive for comfort. Instead of attacking, the thinking appeared to be on containment. It was shocking to see Harbajan Singh and Piyush Chawla who are the attacking bowlers of the side and expected to take wickets, bowling with containment as their target. That strategy is ok with part time bowlers but not expected of frontline bowlers. Either the bowlers were not sure of what was expected of them or Dhoni did not make them aware. For once he seemed to be resigned to having a bowling attack which is not capable of dismissing the opposite side. The containment approach is not going to take us anywhere. The batsmen are in great touch but the bowlers have to lift their level of performance for India to have a realistic chance.
There are plenty of positives to this Indian side. India have an array of World class batsmen who have scored more runs than the runs collectively made by some of the teams participating in the World Cup. In Virender Sewag they have a batsman who is capable of destroying any bowling attack in the world. The situation has no bearing on his batting. He knows only one way to bat: That is to take the cover off the ball. He is a good asset to India as he can help the team wriggle out of any crisis which the other batsmen in the side are not capable of doing. The nature of wicket has little bearing on his batting. At his destructive best, he can win matches on his own. His presence alone is sure to make the bowlers of the opposing side lose their rhythm.
Sachin Tendulkar has been simply amazing. Having already scored 98 centuries in international cricket, he is only getting better with age. His amazing century in the tied match against England was simply breath taking. The master batsman appears to be at his best and seems to have regained the touch which made him master of the situation. Then there is Virat Kholi who has shown great maturity for one who is relatively young in international experience. There is Yusuf Pathan who can be a nightmare to any team on his day. There are support players like Gautham Gambir and Yuvaraj Singh. There is captain Dhoni to control the innings and play the role of a destroyer or sheet anchor. There are no areas of concern as far as batting is concerned.
India’s biggest drawback is that they don’t have outstanding fielders in the side. Barring Virat Kholi and Suresh Raina, the rest of the fielders are not world class. Captain Dhoni has many players to hide in the field which is a difficult task because against a weak fielding, the opposite side can milk runs by aggressive running between the wickets. Even Yuvaraj Singh is a pale shadow of his former self. The knee injuries have taken their toll and he is not a swift mover on the field like before. Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel are not athletic on field like many of their aged colleagues. Dhoni highlighted this point and pleaded helplessness in the match against England when he said: ``We could have defended the total against England if the fielding was better but we have to make do with what we have. We have several slow movers in the field’’
Dhoni’s frustration was also evident that his side could not defend a huge total against England. ``If tall scores as the one we got is not enough, I don’t how many will be enough. It may be difficult for the team to score such massive totals each time they set out to bat.’’ Obviously he was hinting at bowlers who were ineffective when England chased without any discomfort. But for England wilting not due to the pressure exerted by Indian bowlers but by their temperament giving way at a crucial juncture, India might well have lost the match. Remember this English side had received a drubbing from Australia in their last one-day series as a build up to the World Cup.
Can a team hope to win the World Cup with weak fielding and bowling which lacks aggression? The bowling is heavily dependent on Zaheer Khan to deliver each time and unfortunately of late he has been injury prone. Harbajan Singh is good but he is such a passionate cricketer that he can lose his equilibrium at the slightest provocation. Piyush Chawla can only be effective only if the wicket has some help to offer. He need to be bold and attack rather than look at making his position safe in the side by giving minimum number of runs in his quota of overs. Munaf Patel is not menacing. In a tight situation every run can make a huge difference and on this score, India can still overcome their drawbacks and win the world cup if luck continues to favour Dhoni the way it has ever since he has taken over the reins of Indian cricket team.
In the existing scenario, Indian batsmen cannot hope to have an off day. They need to score heavily in order to help the bowlers to have an imposing total to bowl to. The advent of 20-20 cricket has changed the traditional mindset of the players. Now nothing is impossible. In the past a total in excess of 280 had the opposite side beaten even before they started their run chase. England almost overhauled India’s massive total of 338.
Dhoni’s team has often defied the odds. It is this trait which has given hopes to millions that India may regain the World Cup they last won in 1983 as underdogs. Anil Kumble believes that ``this team has in it to win the World Cup.’’
Pakistan seems to be having a side capable of causing a major surprise. The team has many talented players and as former Pakistan captain Imran Khan put it: ``India’s worst nightmare would be meeting Pakistan in quarter-finals.’’ Though India has beaten Pakistan in every World Cup match they have played, the present Pakistan team players have a great deal to gain by lifting their level of performance. The turmoil in Pakistan has isolated the team and the players have suffered as the country is not in a position to host any cricket series. Pakistan side appears formidable but quite often their performance has beem influenced by extraneous factors which is why they can never be expected to perform consistently for a length of time. They carry the tag of being unreliable.
Australia who won the World Cup three times in a row are a formidable side though in the recent past they may have lost their invincible aura. They have a good side and currently enjoy the number one status in limited overs cricket notwithstanding their slump in Test cricket. Under Ponting who knows what it is to win a World Cup, they are a team to reckon with. They have a good batting line up but more importantly their bowling attack is the most formidable among all teams in World Cup. Sri Lankan Tigers are to be feared as the dark ones in the fray.
What makes India favourites in the eyes of many people is because they are playing in home conditions in which their batsmen and bowlers excel. The team has done nothing wrong in the last few years and boasts of the best possible combination. The team has also proved to be adept at handling pressure situations. Their biggest plus point is captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose stoic presence does not betray the pressure he may be going through. He does not get excited or overawed by situations. Or at least that is what he conveys by singular lack of display of any emotion. And what is more, there is not better gambler than Dhoni in World cricket. Like a true gambler, he does not hesitate to make bold moves which at times may look ill-logical but look inspirational for the result it has invariably produced. The Indian team under him has been able to recover from impossible situations and often snatched victory from jaws of defeat.
India’s tied game against England however exposed many chinks in India’s armour. After having piled up an imposing total of 338 runs, the mindset of the captain was too defensive for comfort. Instead of attacking, the thinking appeared to be on containment. It was shocking to see Harbajan Singh and Piyush Chawla who are the attacking bowlers of the side and expected to take wickets, bowling with containment as their target. That strategy is ok with part time bowlers but not expected of frontline bowlers. Either the bowlers were not sure of what was expected of them or Dhoni did not make them aware. For once he seemed to be resigned to having a bowling attack which is not capable of dismissing the opposite side. The containment approach is not going to take us anywhere. The batsmen are in great touch but the bowlers have to lift their level of performance for India to have a realistic chance.
There are plenty of positives to this Indian side. India have an array of World class batsmen who have scored more runs than the runs collectively made by some of the teams participating in the World Cup. In Virender Sewag they have a batsman who is capable of destroying any bowling attack in the world. The situation has no bearing on his batting. He knows only one way to bat: That is to take the cover off the ball. He is a good asset to India as he can help the team wriggle out of any crisis which the other batsmen in the side are not capable of doing. The nature of wicket has little bearing on his batting. At his destructive best, he can win matches on his own. His presence alone is sure to make the bowlers of the opposing side lose their rhythm.
Sachin Tendulkar has been simply amazing. Having already scored 98 centuries in international cricket, he is only getting better with age. His amazing century in the tied match against England was simply breath taking. The master batsman appears to be at his best and seems to have regained the touch which made him master of the situation. Then there is Virat Kholi who has shown great maturity for one who is relatively young in international experience. There is Yusuf Pathan who can be a nightmare to any team on his day. There are support players like Gautham Gambir and Yuvaraj Singh. There is captain Dhoni to control the innings and play the role of a destroyer or sheet anchor. There are no areas of concern as far as batting is concerned.
India’s biggest drawback is that they don’t have outstanding fielders in the side. Barring Virat Kholi and Suresh Raina, the rest of the fielders are not world class. Captain Dhoni has many players to hide in the field which is a difficult task because against a weak fielding, the opposite side can milk runs by aggressive running between the wickets. Even Yuvaraj Singh is a pale shadow of his former self. The knee injuries have taken their toll and he is not a swift mover on the field like before. Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel are not athletic on field like many of their aged colleagues. Dhoni highlighted this point and pleaded helplessness in the match against England when he said: ``We could have defended the total against England if the fielding was better but we have to make do with what we have. We have several slow movers in the field’’
Dhoni’s frustration was also evident that his side could not defend a huge total against England. ``If tall scores as the one we got is not enough, I don’t how many will be enough. It may be difficult for the team to score such massive totals each time they set out to bat.’’ Obviously he was hinting at bowlers who were ineffective when England chased without any discomfort. But for England wilting not due to the pressure exerted by Indian bowlers but by their temperament giving way at a crucial juncture, India might well have lost the match. Remember this English side had received a drubbing from Australia in their last one-day series as a build up to the World Cup.
Can a team hope to win the World Cup with weak fielding and bowling which lacks aggression? The bowling is heavily dependent on Zaheer Khan to deliver each time and unfortunately of late he has been injury prone. Harbajan Singh is good but he is such a passionate cricketer that he can lose his equilibrium at the slightest provocation. Piyush Chawla can only be effective only if the wicket has some help to offer. He need to be bold and attack rather than look at making his position safe in the side by giving minimum number of runs in his quota of overs. Munaf Patel is not menacing. In a tight situation every run can make a huge difference and on this score, India can still overcome their drawbacks and win the world cup if luck continues to favour Dhoni the way it has ever since he has taken over the reins of Indian cricket team.
In the existing scenario, Indian batsmen cannot hope to have an off day. They need to score heavily in order to help the bowlers to have an imposing total to bowl to. The advent of 20-20 cricket has changed the traditional mindset of the players. Now nothing is impossible. In the past a total in excess of 280 had the opposite side beaten even before they started their run chase. England almost overhauled India’s massive total of 338.
Dhoni’s team has often defied the odds. It is this trait which has given hopes to millions that India may regain the World Cup they last won in 1983 as underdogs. Anil Kumble believes that ``this team has in it to win the World Cup.’’
Pakistan seems to be having a side capable of causing a major surprise. The team has many talented players and as former Pakistan captain Imran Khan put it: ``India’s worst nightmare would be meeting Pakistan in quarter-finals.’’ Though India has beaten Pakistan in every World Cup match they have played, the present Pakistan team players have a great deal to gain by lifting their level of performance. The turmoil in Pakistan has isolated the team and the players have suffered as the country is not in a position to host any cricket series. Pakistan side appears formidable but quite often their performance has beem influenced by extraneous factors which is why they can never be expected to perform consistently for a length of time. They carry the tag of being unreliable.
Australia who won the World Cup three times in a row are a formidable side though in the recent past they may have lost their invincible aura. They have a good side and currently enjoy the number one status in limited overs cricket notwithstanding their slump in Test cricket. Under Ponting who knows what it is to win a World Cup, they are a team to reckon with. They have a good batting line up but more importantly their bowling attack is the most formidable among all teams in World Cup. Sri Lankan Tigers are to be feared as the dark ones in the fray.
Comments
Post a Comment