But wth just 5 months and only 13 ODIs in hand, are we seriously prepared to lock horns with the Cricketing SuperPowers like Australia and South Africa??? WC is being played in Sub-Continent this time around.So this gives "TEAM INDIA" a fair advantage to start with. But focusing back on the history of the WC, when it was played in Sub-Continent during 1987 and 96 we merely made it to the Semis in both the occasions.But past is gone and now we have to look in terms of what lies ahead.
WC is being played during months of February till April. So it will be hot and humid across India, Bangladesh and SriLanka during the tournament. And with most of the matches scheduled to start at 2:30 P.M IST you can expect flat pitches throughout the competition. Talking from TEAM INDIA's point of view there are just 13 matches left before picking the best 14 or 15 for the WC.With 8 matches (3 against Aussies and 5 against Kiwis) in INDIA and 5 ODI's in South Africa our selectors have a small headache when it comes to selection for this games and WC.
Just have a brief look at our probables. Right now we can say that there are around 8 players who already have booked their seat for WC. Sachin, Veeru, Gambhir, Raina, Dhoni, Harbhajan, Zaheer and Nehra are a confirmed selection for the WC. So now there is only room for 7 more players to fit in. The most likely names include Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthick, Pravin Kumar , Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Oza, Saurabh Tiwary, Ravindra Jadeja and Pathan Brothers.It will be a huge surprise if you see a player other than this list in our WC squad.
Few eyebrows are likely to be raised when you see the name of Yuvraj Singh in the second list. The main reason being his lack of form and fitness. His performance against Aussies and Kiwis in INDIA will be under scrutiny by selectors. But looking at his past records, my personal feeling is that Yuvi will make to the WC even though he fails against Aussies and Kiwis.
With Sachin, Veeru and Gauti , the top order looks well settled. Raina, MSD are the best middle over players in the country. And with likes of Yuvi,Rohit and Kohli, batting looks in nice shape. The main worry though is a lack of proper all-rounder. Yusuf promised a lot but delivered little. So again Ravindra Jadeja might be favored because of his bowling. But still I will prefer either Yusuf or Irfan because of the flair they add to the side. Both can be match winners on their day.
Our bowling is still our weak link. Unfortunately we are the only team who will have the same opening bowling combination in 2011 WC as in 2003 WC. Both Zaheer and Nehra spearheaded TEAM INDIA’s attack during 2003 WC and are most likely to repeat the act in 2011. This shows that we have hardly any new bowling talent who can spearhead the attack in last 6 to 7 years. ShreeSanth, RP, Munaf showed glimpses of talent but never looked like complete package. Ajit Agarkar still remains a mystery for himself and selectors. Frankly speaking Fast bowling is our weakest department
Even things are not well in spin department where we were kings during 70’s and 80’s. Harbhajan still is our main spin weapon but he hardly takes wickets. Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla are good bowlers but can’t be termed as watch winners like warne and kumble. Glove work is safe with Dhoni behind the stumps. Dinesh Karthick or Parthiv Patel might be his back up if needed. But Dinesh will be considered going by his batting. Selectors might also think of gambling with players like Abhishek Nayar, Naman Ojha, Chiteshwar Pujara and Robin Uttapa. Rahul Dravid can also be given a chance going by his experience. Fielding looks decent with lots of youngsters around but nowhere near the fielding powerhouses like Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka
So with lot of selection questions still unanswered, let’s hope that best squad is selected and we lift the prestigious WC trophy at Wankhede on 2nd April 2011
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