India - talented but lack experience

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  • Reigning champions: India won the last World Cup in 2011.

    Indian cricket correspondent Warren D'Souza looks at India's World Cup squad heading to Australia and New Zealand.

    – Saeed Ajmal to be reassessed in in Chennai
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    Selectors have had enough time to ponder India’s 15-man team for the upcoming World Cup starting next month. Many players had booked their place in advance but there were surprising inclusions and exclusions. Despite being in fantastic form in recent times, a couple of players were ignored, while some made the cut with minimal experience.

    The aim is obvious, retain the World Cup. But achieving that on foreign soil is one of their major concerns.

    Considering India have been in Australia since December, with an upcoming ODI tri-series in the country, they should be suited to conditions. Meanwhile, there has been significant improvement after losing the first two Tests, but their bowling, as always, is a worrying sign. India's top half averaged 52.57 per wicket to Australia's 51.45 this Test series.

    Players Ignored

    There was surely no place for Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. But the biggest question was whether Yuvraj Singh would be included. The 33-year old batsman, who was Player of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup, was not part of India’s 30-member probables but was a strong contender after scoring three back-to-back centuries (130, 136, 182) in the Ranji Trophy.

    Heading back to April 2014, when India met Sri Lanka in the World T20 finals, Yuvraj was mocked after scoring 11 off 21 balls and was ultimately blamed for India’s loss. Nevertheless, Yuvraj is a proven match winner with scintillating batting displays over the years and his inclusion would have brought in loads of experience, a bit of spark and stability in the middle order.

    Murali Vijay was another player in the reckoning and can consider himself unfortunate to be snubbed by selectors. Reports even suggested that MS Dhoni had backed Vijay to make the cut but selectors opted for all-rounder Stuart Binny instead. With a total of 402 runs, Vijay was one of India’s most successful batsmen in Australia, but his ODI record is appalling. In 14 50-overinternationals so far, his total tally reads just 253 runs at an average of only 19.46 and has a highest score of 33.

    Another notable exclusion is wicket-keeper batsman Robin Uthappa, who can be ruthless and impactful on his day. Uthappa was fighting for his spot with three other players; namely Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha and Ambati Rayudu. But inconsistency could have prompted selectors to drop Uthappa and opt for Rayudu, who has hardly disappointed whenever given a chance. Mohit Sharma, who played 11 ODIs claiming 8 wickets during 2013-14, ran out of chances due to injuries, however, he has been included alongside pacer Dhawal Kulkarni for the ODI tri-series starting on 16th January.

    Surprising inclusions and Injury concerns

    Binny is perhaps the most surprising man in India’s 15-man World Cup squad. He has played only 6 ODIs so far, averaging a mere 13.33 and has a highest score of 25 not out. In terms of bowling, Binny has claimed nine wickets, six of which came against Bangladesh last June when he recorded his best ever figures of 4.4-2-4-6.

    Bowling coach Mansur Ali Khan explained that Binny’s ability to swing the ball either way and capabilities as a lower order batsman were reasons for his selection, which are hard to disagree with on face value. India play a couple of group matches in New Zealand where conditions can suit Binny’s variations, while his inexperience have done little to dissuade BCCI selectors of his inclusion.

    Selectors have also taken a huge gamble on injured all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who did not feature in any of the Tests against Australia but played the tour games. Currently undergoing rehabilitation, it is still not confirmed if Jadeja will be available for India’s crunch clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 15.

    The only like-for-like replacement for Jadeja is another left-arm spinner from Gujarat, Akshar Patel, who replaced Jadeja in the Test squad in Australia. Akshar has played nine ODIs since making his debut in June, taking 14 wickets at an average of 20.28, and economy rate of 4.49. Ishant Sharma, who did not play the last Test due to a knee related injury, will certainly be fit prior to the World Cup but his participation in the upcoming tri-series is still a doubt.

    India’s chances

    The current team is not short of talent but in terms of experience in overseas conditions, India are lacking. Opener Dhawan was selected despite a poor show in the recently concluded Test series. Rohit Sharma hasn’t been consistent enough to be relied upon, while Ajinkya Rahane (below) is a classical batsman who isn’t without his own short comings.

    Big expectations: Rahane.

    Perhaps the strongest point for India is their middle-order, with Virat Kohli at the heart of the operation. The recently appointed Test captain will be joined in the middle of the Indian order by Suresh Raina and skipper MS Dhoni, who have seen it all in the past and have enough experience to tackle any situation thrown at them.

    On the bowling front, the team management and Dhoni need to zero in on their best combination. The upcoming tri-series will give a clear insight on who needs to lead the attack. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma will be India’s best bet while spinner R Ashwin is an automatic choice in the playing XI. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni opts for a second spinner or an additional medium pacer.

    Undoubtedly, India’s batting line-up is one of the best but they tend to cover up for their disastrous bowling attack. The tri-series is more of a practice session than a proper tournament for the ICC’s big three. India’s youngsters and less experienced players will be severely tested while the seniors will carry additional pressure on their shoulders. The reigning World Champions may be a different side from 2011 but they must remain positive and give it their best shot in Australian and New Zealand.

    India’s best playing XI for the World Cup: MS Dhoni (WK & C), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. 

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