Published: Apr 10, 2011, 10:46 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 19, 2014, 06:22 PM (IST)
By Dhananjay Devasper
The 28-year wait was well worth it. Mumbai erupted with the rest of India in pure ecstasy when Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a six to get the winning runs that heralded India is as the 2011 World Cup champions. Celebrations, congratulations and announcements of cash awards came in unending waves – as expected.
Now that the celebrations are done with and the IPL has started, it gives the Indian think-tank an opportunity to regroup and evaluate how we should plan for the next World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.
A few hard facts hit us in the face.
Ageing superstars like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan are almost certain not to play in the next edition. Ashish Nehra, Shantakumran Sreesanth and Munaf Patel are not the kind of pacers that you want to take to Australia and New Zealand. It means most of the team that won the World Cup will not be a part of the 2015 squad.
India has four years to develop and groom youngsters for the next World Cup. And it’s only fitting that they begin now, and use tournaments such as the IPL to identify the potential game changers.
The Indian bowling continues to be the biggest worry. The fast bowling department is in dire need of an overhaul and it will be interesting to see how Varun Aaron, India’s new unheralded quick performs in the IPL. Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar are the others who could potentially be the mainstay of the Indian pace line-up for the next few years. The other contenders could be Umesh Yadav, who can be a bit nippy. Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh will be around for some time and may just find themselves making the trip Down Under.
The batting could also present a few worries. The opening combination is something that might need a look in. With Virender Sehwag battling injury in almost every series he plays, it does appear that he might just not get picked. Gautam Gambhir could be one of the pillars of Indian batting for the next World Cup. His partner for the opening slot is up for grabs. If Shikhar Dhawan shows consistency, he could fill in that slot. Else, Virat Kohli may find himself moving up to the top of the order.
Technically, Suresh Raina and even Mahendra Singh Dhoni may find their technique letting them down on the tracks of Australian and New Zealand. Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Saurabh Tiwary are the players who need to be encouraged on a continuous basis to get the balance right as they have the technique to counter those pitches.
It also means that seniors in the team who do not envisage themselves playing in the next World Cup, make way for the youngsters somewhere during the next two years, This will help the new team to gel together as a unit, at least a year before the World Cup. A system of rotation needs to be encouraged to ensure that our fast bowlers do not pick up injuries and there’s enough experience to go around, when the World Cup comes around.
Till then enjoy the euphoria and stay tuned…..
(Dhananjay Devasper is an “IT guy” by profession and a sports fanatic at heart. He has an unbridled passion for sports and Indian achievements in sport. Extremely opinionated, he attempts offering perspectives around sports which are simple to understand and easy to relate with)
