India's batting and spin bowling prowess notwithstanding, it remains to be seen if the faster bowlers are capable of lending steel to the armoury
India's batting and spin bowling prowess notwithstanding, it remains to be seen if the faster bowlers are capable of lending steel to the armoury
India has had an almost perfect warm-up for the World Cup but one question remains unanswered; "Are the faster bowlers up to the task?" If the Indian batsmen are as destructive as they were against New Zealand with Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading the charge, then the fate of the seamers won't matter much. Given so many runs to play with, the spinners will wreak havoc.
However, on the day when the batsmen struggle, India needs to know if the faster bowlers are capable of an early breakthrough and some miserly bowling in the crucial overs.This is still in doubt.What is also in doubt, with the revival of Piyush Chawla's fortunes is the make-up of the attack. So successful have the spinners been in the warm-up games that thought must be given to selecting only two seamers. This is even more reason to prefer Virat Kohli over Suresh Raina as the former's medium pace offerings would then become a necessary adjunct to his polished stroke play.
The balance could be crucial in getting off to a good start against Bangladesh. For Bangladesh, spin bowling will undoubtedly play a major role in the success or otherwise of their campaign. However, while they bowl it well they don't play spinners with the same aptitude. Therefore, India could quickly have the home side on the rack if they attack Bangladesh with good spin bowling.
Not really tested: India pacers Zaheer KhanThe other question that's crucial in assessing India's chances, is their ability to play under the pressure of home town expectation. If any captain can handle this crushing weight, it's Dhoni.In the warm-up game against New Zealand he displayed some initiative with the powerplays; when batting he utilised the ploy much earlier than most captains and unlike the majority, he waived his right to act immediately after India had bowled their first 10 overs.
Ashish NehraDhoni is a clever cricketer and more importantly he displays the same traits as captain. He's currently the best in international cricket. He's also cool enough not to succumb to the World Cup's home town curse.u00a0It may be that India doesn't become the first team to win a World Cup home final, but it won't be because of poor captaincy.
SreesanthAs India set off on this hazardous journey, it's worth recalling the infamous words of Virender Sehwag; "Bangladesh are an ordinary side." Twelve months ago Sehwag was referring to Bangladesh as a Test unit but with the Indian spinners in sparkling form his statement could hold true for the World Cup opener. If the Indian spinners do run amok we still won't know if their seamers are up to the task.
