Published: Jan 31, 2011, 12:59 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 27, 2014, 05:45 PM (IST)
By N Vijayaraghavan
ICC World Cup 2011 is just around the corner, and there is no shortage of debate about team’s composition, player profiles, probable winners, etc. I am looking at the Indian perspective and also the probability of India holding the World Cup 2011.
Many comments, newspapers columns, debates, criticism find big mention about the Indian team’s performance. The most debated being the depleted bowling attack having to contain the opposition, particularly in the death overs. I tend to disagree, since even a lethal combination of Dale Steyn & Morne Morkel or even the likes of Doug Bollinger & Mitchell Johnson, James Anderson & Graeme Swann, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara, are taken to the cleaners by average teams. Our bowlers are as good as prime bowlers of any other teams, but they only need to discipline themselves to bowl to local conditions.
Most of the matches are day-night affairs, and dew will be a crucial factor. I do not anticipate the balls swinging or reversing in sub-continent conditions, particularly when the cold winds are going to fade and let in dry heat by end February and March. A team requires bowlers with accuracy and bowling to a consistent line than length. The spinners too need to rely on line than spin, on batsmen-friendly tracks in the sub-continent.
On the batting front, we are in good health. Our players are natural stroke-makers with excellent eye-hand coordination. They can play any length balls, with a free swing of the arm, as the ball will come at an even pace. However, balls pitched stump-to-stump, will be difficult to score off, and this is the reason why discipline is more important for our batsmen. Even a right-left batting combination would always help to disturb a bowler’s line.
I do not believe in the concept of all-rounder. The 1983 World Cup-winning Indian team was an exception. We should accept the fact that we do not have all-rounders who could chip in with both bat and ball with same intensity. Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina are all batsmen who could bowl, but cannot be termed as genuine all-rounder. It would be ideal, if the team selection is based on specialist.
Talking about all-rounders, I would rather concentrate on fielding all-rounders, who could field brilliantly at any position. I would bet on the following team composition for the men in blue for ICC World Cup 2011.
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra & Yusuf Pathan.
All the batsmen are either brilliant or good fielders in any position. A Sehwag, Sachin, Yuvraj or Yusuf can win the match on their own on their day.
The spinners are the best available. In the pace bowling front, Munaf & Praveen are known for their accuracy. Zaheer and Nehra bring in the guile. What more can you ask for.
Come on India, bring on the World Cup.
(N.Vijayaraghavan is a 64-year-old avid cricket enthusiast, who follows the game of cricket world over carrying the passion of a sixteen-year-old. He has played the game in the Senior Divison League in Chennai during the sixties. A retired mechanical engineer, Vijayaraghavan has worked for over 40 years in Indian Automotive Industries, retiring in 2008, as the CEO. He is based in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, and currently operates as a Management Consultant, specializing in Business Plans, and M&A)
