When the five wise men of Indian cricket meet on Tuesday to pick the 15-member squad for the World Cup, they will have to consider the fitness issues of players and not merely the experience players have.
No matter how many days a player has been treated for an injury, as long as he hasn’t played a certain number of good quality matches he will never be match fit. Picking such players is a gamble that the national selectors can’t afford to take.
Though there are a few headaches for the selectors in picking any new sensational talent worth discussing, the Dhoni issue is going to become sentimental. Having announced his retirement from Test cricket, though he is available for the triangular series and later for the World Cup, the selectors will be forced to consider Virat Kohli for the captain’s job.
There are two ways to look at it. If Dhoni is picked as the captain when he isn’t in great form, the selectors will draw wrath from all quarters if the results do not come.
On the other hand if Kohli replaces Dhoni as captain, we will get to watch fresh strategies because the bowling attack is more suited to the one-day format than the Tests. Let’s not forget Dhoni’s record, which isn’t bad in ODIs at all. Will the selectors risk replacing Dhoni with Kohli?
The batting for the shorter version selects itself. Had Pujara or K. L. Rahul shown glimpses of authentic stroke play, their slots would have ticked themselves but the weird way in which both played in the on-going Border-Gavaskar series allows the selectors to assign those slots to others. One of those slots should go to Ambati Rayudu.
The other slot can go to Yuvraj Singh; who for reasons known to him had emotionally said that he may not play the World Cup again. But he is batting well and has recently scored three centuries.
If observed minutely he has cut down his initial movement drastically by standing on the middle stump. That perhaps gives him time to judge the line and length early. It does seem that his initial movement was creating some problems.
The point is, if he is comfortable with his new adjustment, though facing a 145 kmph plus pacer could be a dangerous proposition, what does matter is the balance and head position. He is able to bisect the field at will. Although while playing his characteristic mid-wicket drives, he will have to be careful.
The man who helped India win the 2011 World Cup striking form at the right time is a very good sign. The World Cup is not a stage for trainees. If an experienced player is in form then he deserves to be picked.
Other batsmen M. Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina are automatic selections. Add Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni and it’s a 300-plus runs side. Robin Uthappa can be used as an opener or as a finisher in addition to his wicket-keeping. He is a batsman in form and performing consistently. Out of form Dhawan is unlikely to find a place.
In the bowling department the worry is the fitness of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. If he is fit then he joins Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami in the pace attack. If Bhuvneshwar is unfit, the selectors may have to choose between Dhawal Kulkarni and Karnataka’s Abhimanyu Mithun who has been doing exceedingly well, moving the ball both ways accurately and at good pace.
Left-arm spinner and useful bat Axar Patel seems to be a certainty. There could be a debate between R. Ashwin and leg-spinner Amit Mishra. The selectors will have to think dispassionately.
Not having bowled a ball for more than a month, picking Jadeja will be a gamble.
The World Cup is a different ball game from all other cricket tournaments. Being defending champion means India has players who have ‘been there, done that.’ That surely trumps the risk of selecting untested talent. The selectors must make use of that experience in the squad, if India is to successfully defend the title.
