Cup of Good Hope

India will be banking on individual brilliance rather than on traditional teamwork to carry on their campaign in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. This has happened in the past. Abhijit Chatterjee looks at India’s chances in the mega event

India’S only success in the World Cup in 1983 came largely due to the bits and pieces contributed by each member of the team rather than a combined team effort that year. Every member of Kapil Dev’s squad played to the plan and delivered what was expected of them. Do that in the West Indies (and this is all a matter of motivation) and history might well be repeated.

There is no doubt that the team of 15 has enough talent to make a mark in the tournament and if all the players get into their groove then the sky could well be the limit. Despite the fact that the team has been picked not only on form but also on the basis of past performances, India will hope that the likes of Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan get into their groove as quickly as possible.

Sachin Tendulkar has a very impressive record in the World Cup

Mindgame

Cricket, like any other sport, is played more in the mind than in the physical form at the highest level. The difference in the level of competence of the players who play at the highest level is marginal, specially in the shorter version of the game. And it will be no different in the World Cup, starting on March 13 in the West Indies with the top teams trying their best, and using all their resources, to lay their hand on the most coveted cricket trophy. Going by current form, Australia (looking for a hat-trick of titles) seem to be hot favourites even if they have suffered shock defeats at the hands of England and New Zealand recently. But the other teams, on their given day, can also come up on top and give a run to the Aussies as England have done.

How does India, whose one-day form has taken a dip recently after finishing runners-up in the 2003 World Cup, stand? India have the uncanny knack of doing wonderfully well on a given day and then, for no explainable reason, suddenly slip into the dumps the very next day. But the fact remains that India will be looking to a handful of senior players, who know that this is their last appearance on the greatest cricketing stage of the world, to bring the trophy home.

On uneven wicket

Even in the last edition of the Cup, held in the African continent, India had a horrid beginning. In their very first match, against minnows Holland, whose pretensions of participating in World Cup was totally demolished as the tournament progressed, bundled out India for 204. That India won by 68 runs was largely due to the effort of Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble, who this year too is a member of the Indian team and should hope to leave a lasting impression. If the first match saw India struggle with the bat the next was a disaster as Australia, who went on to beat India in the final, bundled out India for just 125 runs and then scored the required runs in just 22.2 overs for the loss of one wicket.

Suddenly, the performance of the team turned around dramatically. They beat Zimbabwe, Namibia, England and Pakistan on the trot to finish the league stage. Sachin Tendulkar this year is probably playing the last World Cup of his career. He has battled injury and fatigue in the intervening period of four years. He won a couple of India’s pool matches almost singlehandedly. India remained untroubled in the super six stage as they recorded three wins in three matches to march into the semi-final where they took on Kenya, who had entered this stage of the tournament more by fate than on basis of performance. Kenya was easy meat for the Indians who now looked unstoppable before they came a cropper against Australia in the final. But even after losing the final India had the satisfaction of seeing Tendulkar being declared man of the tournament. He was the leading scorer with 673 (average 61.180) followed by Sourav Ganguly, who scored 465 runs. Zaheer Khan was fourth in the list of wicket takers in the tournament.

Skipper Rahul Dravid was not speaking out of turn when he said that India would be looking to the top six or seven players to fire in this year’s edition of the World Cup. And obviously, he has his eyes on Tendulkar and Ganguly. the latter is in a new avatar with his bat doing the talking in the matches he has played so far after fighting his way back into the Indian team after staying in the wilderness for over an year. That Ganguly has forced his way back into the team is a salute to his keenness to play for the country and also to prove the point that he was dropped from the team for reasons other than cricket (although the cricket establishment in the country would contest this). Besides these three players the members of the 2003 World Cup squad who will have another crack at the trophy are the skipper himself, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar and Yuvraj Singh.

The team definitely has a very settled look. What they may lack in fitness more than make up by their cricketing acumen and tenacity. Nothing testifies this more than the way Ganguly fielded and the catch he took of Sanath Jayasuriya in the third match of the series against Sri Lanka in Goa. Fielding may be an area where India might find the going tough given that quicker movers have been left out of the squad.

The team is predictable since the nation, as Vengsarkar had said soon after taking over the hot seat, does not have an adequate number of second-rung players who can push the seniors to dislodge them. If that were to happen then players like Sehwag and Pathan, in particular, could have been pushed more or players like Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif could have got a look in. Even in the bowling department the five fast bowlers literally selected themselves since there was nobody who could have posed a serious problem to those selected. Full marks to Robin Uthappa for making a place for himself in the squad in spite of fierce competition for the opening slot in the team.

Coach Greg Chappell did try the rotation policy initially, but somehow it did not click completely because the players selected did not match up to their potential. Cricketers like Mohammad Kaif, who now looks out of form, and Suresh Raina did show initial promise but have now faded away.

Raina should have grabbed his opportunities because a fielder like him could be an asset for any team. But then his batting let him down. Unable to convert his 30s and 40s into big scores and a poor average of under 20 in his last 20 ODIs proved to be his undoing. Another reason why Raina lost out in the race for a berth was the fact that Dinesh Karthik, who has been included as the second wicketkeeper, is not only batting well but his ground fielding has been excellent.

Kaif, who had a wonderful average when he toured the West Indies less than a year ago, could have probably made the grade had not Yuvraj Singh recovered in time. With Yuvraj making his way back into the team, Kaif had no role to play in the World Cup.

One player should count himself very lucky to be bound for the World Cup. Virender Sehwag all but lost out for a place given his miserable run in recent times but then he had the total backing of the captain . Dravid is of the firm view, and he has articulated it time and again, that Sehwag has a wonder full track record and is just an innings away from greatness. But the moot question is: when will that innings come. Not only is Sehwag struggling with the bat but after the team returned home from the West Indies, his attitude during the tour has also come up for question. The report of the team manager, who has pointed to his laid-back attitude during the tour, has only added to his problems.

Pathan finds himself in the team not only because of his bowling but also due to the fact that there is nobody who can bat at number seven. Hopefully, he has sorted out the problems he had with his bowling and the reprimand he got by being sent back home midway through the tour to work on his basics should stand him in good stead in the tournament.

The biggest problem for the team is the fielding. After Yuvraj, the next best fielder is Karthik, whose actual job is to be behind the stumps. The outfield will be manned by heavy legs and weak arms and Dravid would find it difficult to hide members of the "Dad’s Army".

If India can overcome this major lacunae, their campaign in the World Cup would be worthwhile. But one thing is sure. The Indians would have to bat better and bowl tighter, even if they field poorly, to do well in the tournament.

Build-up blues
Vikramdeep Johal

Young guns (from left): Robin Uthappa, S. Sreesanth, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan will be playing in their first World Cup

How important is it for a team to have a good build-up to the World Cup? Back in 1983, the Indian squad landed in England for the mega event having won only seven of their last 20 one-dayers. Despite the mediocre pre-tournament record, Kapil Dev’s men rose to the occasion and came up trumps. Uncannily, the Rahul Dravid-led team bound for the Caribbean islands has an identical record — seven wins and 13 losses in their last 20 games (excluding the abandoned ones).

Going by these figures, superstitious cricket lovers might think that history is set to repeat itself. However, the fact remains that this is India’s worst run-up show. Had it not been for the two series victories at home against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, it would have been even worse.

Patchy pre-World Cup form can sometimes be motivational in an oblique way, while a successful run can bring in complacency. India were in prime nick prior to the 1996 edition hosted by the three subcontinental giants. They had won 14 out of their last 20 ODIs. Most of these wins were on home soil, and co-hosts India were expected to rule the roost under favourable conditions. It didn’t happen that way. Mohammad Azharuddin’s men lost to Sri Lanka and Australia in the league phase. They did beat Pakistan in the quarterfinals, but were humbled at the last-four stage by eventual champions Sri Lanka.

Four years ago, India travelled to South Africa after being thrashed 2-5 by New Zealand (away series) and pipped 3-4 by the West Indies at home. These twin setbacks succeeded India’s superb triumphs in the NatWest Trophy and the ICC Champions Trophy (joint winners with Sri Lanka). However, Sourav Ganguly’s players regained their winning touch as the tournament hotted up. Their dream run took them all the way to the final, where they had to bow before the might of Australia.

The experience of playing in the host country has rarely been utilised advantageously by India. In 1992, the team had been in Australia for several months when the World Cup began. Despite being extremely familiar with the conditions Down Under, India performed miserably and failed to reach even the semis. On the two occasions that they have been the co-hosts (1987 and 1996), they have not gone past the last-four stage.

Let’s see if India can derive some benefit from the fact that they played in the West Indies barely nine months ago, losing the one-day series 1-4 but recovering brilliantly to claim the Test rubber 1-0. More importantly, they have to raise their game when it matters the most, not forgetting that their overseas ODI record in the past year has been quite unenviable.

Colonel in command

Selection Committee Chairman Dilip Vengsarkar (left) has asserted his authority without restricting Greg Chappell (right). — Photos by PTI

Ever since he has take over as Chairman of the Selection Committee last September, Dilip Vengsarkar has laid stress more on performance rather than on the potential of the players while selecting teams. And this has paid rich dividends to Indian cricket.

It is his foresight that a player like Sourav Ganguly, who was dropped from the team like a hot potato during the tenure of Kiran More as Chairman of Selectors, has made his way back into the team. And today the former skipper has become a principal player on whom the team is depending a lot in the World Cup. The same has been the case of Zaheer Khan or even Anil Kumble, who after being in the wilderness for quite some time, have become important cogs in the Indian bowling for the World Cup.

When the team was doing so badly in South Africa, Vengsarkar, fondly called Colonel by team-mates during his playing days, was rushed there to guide the team, although he did not infringe upon the territory of coach Greg Chappell. While Chappell and Vengsarkar did not see eye to eye on team selection, as of now it is Vengsarkar's will that has prevailed, seeing the composition of the team selected for the World Cup.

One reason why Vengsarkar has been such a huge hit as a selector is the fact that ever since he has given up playing the game he has been involved with the game in some form or the other. Not only did Vengsarkar run a coaching centre at Mumbai where he interacted with a lot of players he has also acted as a talent spotter for the board for quite some time. And this has paid him dividends in his new avatar as the chief selector.

— AC