Picking the XI for today's game against Bangladesh won't be easy for MSD
Picking the XI for today's game against Bangladesh won't be easy for MSD
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India skipper MS Dhoni goes through fielding drills during a training
session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
Pic/suresh KK
What should be the composition of the side that plays Bangladesh today? Given that so many players are in form, whom does he retain, whom does he dump? It's a sweet predicament, but a predicament nonetheless.
Setting the tempo
The first match often determines the tenor and tempo of a team's campaign. If he dives into World Cup history Dhoni will find that India did not beat the West Indies just in the 1983 final, but also in the opening game of the tournament.
That's the kind of kick-start which would give India's campaign in this World Cup an impetus in the right direction. Team composition and tactics, therefore, will have to be well-thought out even if the opposition appears none-too-daunting. I say this with due apology to Bangladesh, who had beaten India so convincingly in the 2007 tournament.u00a0 They may not enjoy the faith of bookies and experts, but on some days Bangladesh are capable of beating the best.
Dhoni, still fairly new in 2007, could hardly have forgotten that unsavoury episode which saw the team being knocked out in the first round itself. Four years later, Bangladesh are a more experienced side if anything. They will also enjoy all the benefits of playing on a home pitch, so India will take them lightly at their own peril.
Fitness is key
However, I don't believe this Indian team is short on ambition or commitment, so laxity is not really the issue. Fitness of key players has, of course, been a gnawing concern. But for the moment, we can hope (and trust the team's physios) that all is well on that score too. Which brings us to form, which is where Dhoni's worries lie, albeit in a upside-down sort of way.
Recent ODIs against New Zealand and South Africa have caused an upheaval of sorts in what looked like a settled batting order. Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan -- in their contrasting ways -- have been impressive and consistent, which has meant pressure on Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, otherwise automatic picks.
In the two smart wins in the warm-up games, Raina got handsome runs in one, but this may not be good enough to convince the team's minders that he should make it to the playing Xl. His discomfort against short-pitched bowling in South Africa was stark, and while this tournament is on the more benign pitches of the sub-continent, it can't be at the cost of either Kohli or Pathan.
Raina, I reckon, should be assigned to carry drinks in the first game at least. He may have been best man at Dhoni's marriage last year, but this is the World Cup, and even the best friendship has to be ruthlessly cast aside in such situations. Though Yuvraj has not been prolific with the bat, he should retain his place. He has not looked out of form, only short of runs. His experience and finishing prowess make him a batsman feared by opponents, which is a good psychological advantage too. Moreover, Yuvraj's part-time bowling is now compelling full-time attention not just from Dhoni, but also his rivals.
Spin is integral
Indeed, what and who should constitute the bowling attack seems more vexing for the Indian captain. Again, opponents struggling against spin in the warm-up games will have cautioned him against going in for the conventional formation of three pacers and a spinner supported by part-timers. Spin is clearly going to be integral in every team's scheme of things on pitches in India, Lanka and Bangladesh.
Competition within the Indian dressing room has made both Piyush Chawla and R Ashwin perk up if evidence of the warm-up games is anything to go by. But will Dhoni opt for two spinners against Bangladesh, who play slow bowling well, is the moot question.
I would think not. The part-timers are all slow bowlers, and Dhoni would prefer to test the stroke-happy Bangladesh top order with his pace bowlers. If he is chosen, this could create splendid opportunity for Sreesanth to allay his captain's misgivings with a fine performance: while Dhoni's problem of plenty might remain, one big niggling problem would go.
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