The countdown for the cricket world cup has started which is just three weeks away. After a cracker one-day series between India & South Africa, the tournament is been tipped to be a huge success. This world cup is important for various reasons.
It will decide the future of one-day cricket. This is the first major one-day tournament after the arrival of T20 cricket which has taken the cricket world by storm. So will the spectator turn out for the forty day tournament be as high as it used to be during the pre- T20 cricket time? Will the television viewership be as high as it used to be during the previous editions are some of the big questions. The ICC will go all out to make sure that the pitches for the event are batsmen friendly as that will make the matches high scoring.
Now what hasn’t changed is the buzz around who are the favourites to win this World Cup. Many Indian cricket experts, media houses & fans have already started believing that India is the strongest team to win this world cup. The reasons- that India has the best side, we are playing on our home ground etc. My take is that India is one of the favourites but definitely not the favourite to win this edition.
The reason is that though India has probably the best batting side but their bowling is a big concern. The two world cups in which India performed exceptionally well were 1983 & 2003. In both these edition one key reason for India’s superior performance was India’s bowling. In 1983 – Roger Binny and Madan Lal were the top two wicket takers of the tournament. Between the two they took 35 wickets in 8 matches. Kapil Dev & Mohinder Amarnath had an economy rate of less than 3 which made it difficult for the opposition to score runs. Kapil Dev also took 12 wickets in the tournament.
Similarly in the 2003 – Zaheer, Srinath & Nehra took 49 wickets together in 11 matches. Harbhajan’s economy rate was less than 4. Along with India’s batting the bowlers also played an equal important role. Now the argument could be that In India the conditions are different but even then any team would need atleast 3 bowlers who perform well. It is not necessarily to be the highest wicket takers but atleast bowl tight.
This time around India’s bowling is one of the weakest ever. Nehra is still to in to rhythm, harbhajan has been inconsistent. Praveen Kumar is struggling for fitness and even though Munaf bowled well in South Africa, in India he has never been very effective. Zaheer is the only reliable force. But given that India will play four bowlers in all matches atleast 3 will have to be in prime form. Luckily India’s part time bowlers- Yuvraj, Yousuf & raina have been bowling well. Sehwag & tendulkar are also very effective bowlers. So getting useful ten overs out of these three to four bowlers will not be a major concern.
No doubt that India has a very potent batting side with the top seven batsmen capable of winning the match for the team on any given day. But out of the seven batsmen atleast four will have to perform consistently & be in great form. Sehwag & Tendulkar will be a lethal opening combination. But Sehwag will play his natural game and like always his consistency will be the key. But his & Tendulkar’s form will be the most critical factor if India is to go through till the finals. In the middle order with Yuvraj & Dhoni struggling to for form, Gambhir & Kohli have a very pivotal role to play. Gambhir at number 3 and Kohli at number 4 will have to play the anchor sheet role. One of them will have to raise their hand in every match and stay at the crease till the end. Yuvraj has been out of form for a very long time but given his talent & calibre Dhoni has no choice but to back him. The day he finds his rhythm he can demolish the opposition. Dhoni like always will play according to the situation. His temperament is his key and will provide the reprieve to the batting.
But the ‘X factor will be Yousuf Pathan.I think it is imperative that Dhoni plays Yousuf Pathan in all the matches even if that means dropping Raina. Yousuf is a special player and he cannot be expected to play a miracle innings each & every time India is in trouble. He may click say 3 times out 10 matches. But the day he gets going he can win India the match single handedly. Sehwag & Yousuf are two batsmen who can alter the course of a match in a matter of few overs. They have to be backed no matter how inconsistent they are. If India has to win this world cup both of them will have to produce special innings in some crucial matches.
Lastly, since the 2002 Natwest trophy in England, India has not won a single major one day tournament. They have always cracked under pressure in major tournaments. So the temperament will be another key factor.
As if now without naming any favourites the four teams that should make it to semis are – India, South Africa, England & Sri Lanka. Anyone of them can win this world cup. But the surprise package of the world cup could be Pakistan. They have it in them to surprise everyone.
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