From a gentle trot to the full gallop, Indian cricket has progressed at the World Cup.
The premier tournament’s inaugural game in 1975, pitted England against India at Lord’s. The host amassed 334 for four, the visitors mustered 132 for three and Sunil Gavaskar remained unbeaten on a 174-ball 36! Slow-life on a fast lane can be fatal and India failed.
Leaping to the present with the World Cup’s 12th edition set for a Thursday-launch in England, India is now deemed a forceful presence. It helps that Kapil’s Devils and M.S. Dhoni’s men won the cup that matters in 1983 and 2011 respectively.
Tortoise to hare
The evolutionary-tale has a trivia that reveals how India embraced the kinetic energy rippling through ODIs. Gavaskar, who did a tortoise in 1975, was a frenzied hare during a World Cup clash with New Zealand at Nagpur in 1987.
The opener scored an unbeaten 103 off just 88 deliveries and the wheel had indeed turned!
And now as Virat Kohli’s men traverse the English countryside over the next five weeks, make it six if the Men in Blue do play the final at Lord’s on July 14, it is time to appraise the squad. Muscular batting has always been India’s forte and a lot will hinge on the senior quartet of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Kohli and Dhoni.
Speculation on No. 4
There is speculation over the No. 4 slot, but it might well become a floating role with K.L. Rahul seemingly holding an edge over Vijay Shankar.
The team also has a rich vein of all-round talent as Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinner Ravindra Jadeja offer options with ball and bat.
And there is Dinesh Karthik as a back-up glove-man to Dhoni.
But what could prove decisive in India’s bid for a third World Cup title is its incisive bowling repertoire, especially in the pace department. Jasprit Bumrah, perhaps the world’s best ODI fast bowler, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar can be a handful in English conditions even if Old Blighty’s pitches have developed a soft-spot for the 300-plus score.
India’s current speed merchants are on par with the ones that the country had in the 2003 and 2011 World Cups, with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra being the common factors while Javagal Srinath and Munaf Patel were present at either end of the spectrum.
Role of spin
Spin will play a role too and Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, will need to keep it tight in the middle-overs, a phase when matches and momentum waver.
There are no easy starters and a warm-up game can be cumbersome as India learnt against New Zealand but officially the campaign will commence with the joust against South Africa at Southampton on June 5.
Kohli’s men are stepping in from a long season that concluded with the Indian Premier League’s exhausting schedule. Being fresh and fit would remain the key, besides ignoring the external noise around the match involving Pakistan on June 16.
