05 June,2011 07:17 AM IST | | Kersi Meher-Homji
Is India basking in her World Cup glory? Compare the World Cup winning XI of March-April from the one-day international (ODI) squad for the West Indies. No skipper-keeper Dhoni, no iconic Sachin, no six-sensation Sehwag, no rock-solid Gambhir, no Man of the Cup Yuvraj, no reverse-swing king Zaheer.
An Indian team without them appears like Agra without the Taj, Paris without Eifel Tower and Merv Hughes without moustache.
Are we taking the West Indies too lightly? This was a chance to prove the ICC wrong by beating the Windies in the Caribbean. If India's virtual second XI under the talented but inexperienced Suresh Raina loses to the eighth ranked West Indies, ICC will be proved correct in ranking India behind Australia.
By May end, India deserved to be ranked No 1 in both Tests and in ODIs. They are correctly ranked No 1 at Test level but are No 2 in ODIs.
Confusing
How come? By what criteria, by which statistic? Like most fair-minded cricket-lovers I am confused that Australia is eight points ahead of World Cup champions India in the current rankings.
Is World Cup of no importance to the ICC? Have their statisticians lost their marbles? Or their calculators lost their battery charge and give false numbers? Is an international event like the ICC- recognized World Cup inferior to judge ranking than the 3-match series between Australia and the lowly Bangladesh in April?
Or for that matter, a meaningless 6-1 victory by Australia over a tired English team who after winning the Ashes wanted to get it over and done with in ODIs down under and go home for a rest cure before the 2011 World Cup?
Not only did India beat Australia convincingly in the World Cup quarter final but also defeated them 1-0 in an ODI series in India last October.
Also, Australia had lost to Sri Lanka 1-2 in an ODI series in Australia last November. I think the ICC ranking system is flawed.
The author is an Indian, who isu00a0 based in Sydney
