Skip to main content

Glory will be ours, or will it be?


- Atul Agarwal



With four months remaining for the World Cup 2019, each of the ten cricket boards is busy trying to figure out the perfect combination of fifteen odd men who’d be flying to England for the grandest tournament of the cricketing arena. While each team has some people who’ve almost booked a slot, there are others who’ve been facing the axes muscly swung by their national selectors ahead of their respective bilateral ODI series.  Selection of a team has never been more difficult before, with the onset of far too many players emerging from the domestic T20 and One Day leagues.

While there are ten teams contending for the coveted glory, cricket aficionados have already declared their verdict that the two teams that should make it to the finals are England and India. However, reality, like always, is far from the truth. Despite being the co-favourites, the Indian selection board and the team management have been having the toughest of times in picking their esteemed warriors.

Let us look at some of the internal factors troubling the case of the Indian selectors.

1. The No. 4 Conundrum

There have been far too many discussions going on around the country on who would perfectly fit in at No. 4, and every dialogue gives rise to a wholly new name. Despite winning the overseas ODI series in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, none of the batsmen has made this slot his very own. All of these victories have come with the backing of some fantastic top order batsmanship or extraordinary bowling. It is high time the team management stops experimenting with this position and makes MS Dhoni take the No. 4 slot unswervingly till the World Cup. Dhoni has an average of 241 runs in 4 ODIs in 2019. He was indeed the difference between the two teams in the tour of Australia and also the second ODI in New Zealand. He is someone who can construct the innings early on and has the ability to strike at 140 towards the death.   

India’s foremost paleness right now is in power hammering in the middle order, and it should be a no brainer to prefer Dinesh Karthik over Ambati Rayudu. With Rayudu gone, Dhoni can bat at No. 4, followed by Karthik, Kedar and Hardik/Jadeja who have the proficiencies to muscle the ball towards the end. It is really difficult to comprehend why Rayudu is still being tried after his departure from first class, losing team balance and control apart from some ordinary fielding.

2. Search for an all-rounder

It is an eminent element that a player with all-round skills has been an occasional commodity for Indian cricket. Ever since Kapil Dev hung his boots, we’ve never had the honour of getting the services of a flawless all-rounder. Though Hardik Pandya was brought in to the Indian side to fill that gap, his contributions with both the bat and the ball always have been found wanting. To add to the misery, his suspension from the team following his controversial remarks on a popular talk show was like rubbing salt to the wound. With the absence of an all-rounder, the Indian team will have a tough time facing the dilemma as to whether to play an extra batsman at the expense of a bowler or vice versa.

Now let us look at some of the other teams who stand a great chance in competing with the two favourites in the tournament.

1. Australia

The defending champions, though, currently not in their best of forms, have always brought out their world class game in the major ICC tournaments. They have quality fast bowlers in the form of Mitchel Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, along with superior batsmen like Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb. The arrival of David Warner and Steve Smith will further strengthen their case.  

2. New Zealand

With their captain Kane Williamson leading from the front, the runners up of the 2015 World Cup have got the fire in their belly to outsmart every other team in the world. They are known to punch two inches above their notch. Their strong fast bowling unit with some serious pace and swing, solid middle and lower order batting and athletic fielding will be grim for any opponent to dodge.

3. Pakistan

They are like a wild card entry in every major event. From losing to the least favoured team to defeating the tournament favourites in the finals, they are a team that brings supreme level of excitement to any contest. Their Champions Trophy victory in 2017, following triumphs against both the favourites England and India in the semi finals and finals respectively makes a very strong case for them.

Given that the format in the 2019 World Cup is more like the 1992 World Cup that gives more prominence to constancy than an irrational 2007 World Cup style where one bad day could put you out of the cup, India and England should make it to the semi-finals. The other two could be from Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand. But to win the World Cup for the third time, they will have to settle the internal matters first before stepping on the ground and outplay the others clinically. Despite having the top order batting, bowling set up and fielding sorted out, the team management has to make the right call or the world cup trophy will not have any trouble eluding them.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Game of Thrones for the CricFans

- By Atul Agarwal Not everyone is born with exemplary leadership abilities. It comes naturally to some than others, though it is really difficult to find someone who possesses this extraordinary skill. A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. The Indian Cricket Team has unfailingly been blessed with versatile foremen. From Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in the 1960s, Sunil Gavaskar in the 1970s, Kapil Dev in the 1980s, Mohammad Azharuddin in the 1990s, Saurav Ganguly in the early-2000s, to M S Dhoni in the last decade, we’ve had men who truly turned out to be the true talisman for their nation. It is after the resignation of M S Dhoni, the man who has won virtually every international silverware as a captain, that the Indian Cricket Team has had more questions than answers. With no major tournament accolades under his belt, and after two back to back overseas Test debacles, the current Indian skipper Virat Kohli has come under the scanner of Indian ...
Post a Comment
Read more

India's Squad for World Cup 2019 - Who will make it, who will not?

With the World Cup just months away, the BCCI Selectors and Team Management have shifted their focus from fielding the best possible 11 on the field to giving every prospect an opportunity to show what they can bring to the table. The Selectors have made it very clear that they want to give enough opportunities to players like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Vijay Shankar to claim their spot in the Indian World Cup Squad which needs to be announced by 23rd April, the deadline set by the ICC for all the participating teams. The opportunities left with the players are very limited as Team India is scheduled to play only 5 One Day Internationals against Australia before the ICC World Cup, apart from these matches players will get another shot in the IPL, where they will have 1-month window to prove their mettle. Hardik Pandya's back injury has opened the door for Vijay Shankar, who has impressed in the limited opportunities given to him. Rishabh Pant...
2 comments
Read more

Virat Kohli Records

Born on 5 th  November 1988,  Virat Kohli is one of the most revered names in the world cricket today. In a career span of 10 years, he has achieved greater heights than what the greats of the game couldn’t do in their entire career. Virat Kohli, the captain of Indian cricket team in all formats likes to lead from the front and always sets a high bar for other players. He has worked on his fitness level over the years which has brought a noticeable change in his game. He has seen his fair share of failure but never refrained from accepting his weaknesses and conquering them. The recent tour to England is the biggest example. To honor this genius, let us have a look at the 30 Records he holds in International Cricket before actually turning 30 years of age on November 5 th , 2018. Fastest to score 7000 runs as a Captain.  During the first test match against England, in his 124 th  innings, Virat became the fastest to score 7000 runs as a captain across ...
Post a Comment
Read more