World Cup 2011 – Journal Quarterly report “Team India – ODI” (June – September, 2010)

With world cup less than 150 days away it is about time we discuss the composure and preparation of Team India. The last two world cup have been little challenging partly coz failure of planning for such events. And I haven’t had a chance to keep track of the changes in three main aspects Team India’s preparation. Hence forth, I will rank each department on a scale of 10 (with 10 being best), the positives and negatives of each department.

For this quarterly report, we will look at the period of June – September, 2010. Team India had three tours Zimbabwe triangular, Asia Cup and Sri Lanka Triangular cup. For a complete list of ODI’s played by Team India please visit the following link http://stats.cricinfo.com/india/engine/records/team/series_results.html?class=2;id=6;type=team. Of the 13 matches the team won only 6 and lost 7 losses. On a positive side, Team India was finalist on all three occasions, while they emerged champions in only one of them. We have tried various batting and bowling units and have had mixed results. As of now, Team India doesn’t look a settled unit.

Batting (7): The batting line-up is the most thorough aspect of Team India. The opening slots are filled with the comforting presence of Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir providing the back-up option. We have good finishers in Dhoni and Raina. Although 5 of the 7 batsman are in good form it is the form of the others that is more alarming.

Gambhir was most prolific run scorer, however, if Gambhir’s persists with his fitness issues then we have 3 positions that would require attention. Kohli, Yuvi, Rohit and Jadeja have been filling in at 3, 4, 6 and 7 positions respectively. Of the four only Kohli have had some decent run with the bat. Rohit had two tons in the Zimbabwe tri- series but failed to make an impact on the later matches. His fitness and attitude will have to change for him to have a chance to play any role in the team in its preparation to WC’11.

Yuvi in past have been a match winning player, but his authority to seal the game is wading with time. Hope the recent mandatory break might make him more hungry for runs. Jadeja is in the team for reasons only known to Dhoni. There is a general lack of a player like Dravid who can adapt to various conditions. Given the probability of Sachin and Sehwag both failing in the same match is very low, we need atleast two of the four listed above to evolve as a key player in the next couple of series.

During this quarter, Team India batting antics ranged from 88 to 285 with an average score of 210. In the matches won Team India scored 224 with an average loss of 6 wickets, while in the matches lost Team India scored at an average of 196 for 9 wickets. When the first three wickets fell cheaply Team India collapsed like a pack of cards. This is still a cause of worry and will be monitoring this over the next few quarters.

Bowling (6).Team India relies heavily on their batting to make an impact on the game. In all the matches won, we were able to successfully dismantle all the opponents, while in the matches lost we were able to take only 5 wickets with at least one of the openers taking control of the game. Perhaps Zaheer is the only bowler who constantly tries to outsmart the batsman. Harbhjan, Ojha, Sehwag and Jadeja can all contributed but the pieces have not fell together. We certainly lack bowlers who can control from one end. When bowling first, we tend to fall flat if one of the openers gets going.

Jadeja’s slot as an allrounder at No. 7 is very vital for the performance of the team. He has the ability to choke the runs. Since Dhoni is persisting with the selection of Jadeja in the grand scheme of things may be they have a role tailored for Jadeja to perform. The upcoming series against Australia will be crucial to deploy the bench instead of Zaheer and Harbhajan. Although this was tested against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in previous tours it may not be a bad idea to stick with.

Fielding (6).This is one area we can constantly improve on. There have been several missed opportunites in the previous three series that has cost us the games. We have seen the likes of Zaheer give a go at pick-up and throw but it is no-where near what can be claimed as best. The boundary line fielding efforts improved significantly, but the in circle fielding and the ability to attack the ball are areas of concern.

The upcoming series of Australia and New Zealand (both home series) could provide little insights into our bench strength.