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Five Thoughts About India’s World Cup Team
Understanding Binny's selection, Yuvraj's exclusion, and India's biggest weakness.
About the Yuvraj Singh situation...
Remember 2010? Yuvraj almost didn't play the World Cup. He had been dropped from the ODI team due to poor form and fitness. But at the cusp of the World Cup, he was brought back because of the feeling that you couldn’t leave somebody of his age and experience out. Good move. But four years later, Yuvraj is still no better and has failed to grow out of the exact same problems: form and fitness. A hundred against a set of retired international bowlers at Lord’s or one on a Saurashtra featherbed will not have the impact that leads to a comeback. Besides, where does he fit into the line-up that has now been taken over by new players like Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja? It’s a surprise Yuvraj’s name was discussed at all at the selection meet.
Why Rayudu, Binny & Axar?
The World Cup is a high-pressure tournament. To win it, you need players with match awareness and the ability to dominate key moments of a game. Their track record shows that Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny and Axar Patel are such players. They have been relentlessly exposed to high-pressure situations in the IPL, and they have developed that trait associated with genuine match winners: the ability to finish off games. This is what separates them from other inexperienced players. Besides, all three offer an all-round package of batting, bowling and fielding skills. There are some not convinced about Binny. But who would you rather pick in his place? India don't need more openers, middle-order batsmen, pacers or spinners—those slots are taken. The fight was among all-rounders. Binny’s closest competitor could have been Dhawal Kulkarni. But you can compare their one-day records and see why the selectors went with Binny.
India’s biggest worry...
... should be their fast bowling. In Tests, Ishant Sharma is in the best form of his career, having taken 38 wickets in his last eight matches. But he had only five ODIs in 2014 in which he took six wickets at 37.3—numbers that don’t make him the leader of the pack. That mantle could have gone to Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. But he is returning from an injury. He’s reliable with the new ball but his end-game skills are a work in progress. And when he can’t get it to swing, he’s ineffective. Mohammad Shami has one of the best strike rates in ODI history. But his control is probably the weakest among India's bowlers. Umesh Yadav is unpredictable, blowing hot, blowing cold. He’ll probably be the last choice seamer. Dhoni’s biggest problem with this attack would be this: if he’s in a knockout game with 10 runs to defend in the final over, which of these scatterguns can he rely on? Tough call. This pace unit has talent which it continues to squander for its lack of discipline. A mental adjustment is needed. Can they make it during the lead-up to the World Cup?
Who would open the innings?
Would it be Dhawan and Rohit? Or Dhawan or Rahane? Or Rahane and Rohit? There’s consensus that Rohit must open due to his big-scoring ability. But interestingly, he’s the only one with middle-order chops. He has some serious slog-over ability. On the other hand, Dhawan is a unidimensional option. If he won’t open, he won’t play. He and Rahane are most effective against the new ball since they have a range of strokes to score quickly. Rahane plays in the middle order in Tests but is largely untested in ODIs. The middle order of Kohli, Raina, Dhoni, Rayudu and the all-rounders (Binny Jadeja and Ashwin) is largely settled. The trick is to settle the opening slots before the World Cup starts. India wouldn’t want to be in a 2007-like situation where they went through the tournament chopping and changing things every game—and paying heavily for it.
Getting the basics right...
... would be key. World Cup winners do these things well: forming partnerships, taking all their catches, bowling to their fields, and showing game awareness. India’s catching and bowling have been poor. But they also have an easy first round against teams like UAE, Ireland, Zimbabwe and West Indies. If they get their basics right, they’ll cruise to the quarterfinals where their opponent is likely to be Australia, New Zealand or Sri Lanka. From there, how well India leverage their strength (batting) and hide their weakness (bowling) is anybody’s guess.
