All the world’s a stage...
With the World Cup squad in place, it is time to
gear up for the challenge
Abhijit Chatterjee

Heal & hearty: Given the injured state of Sachin Tendulkar and others, the selectors would have done well to include one more specialist batsman Photos: AFP

The 15-member Indian team for next month’s World Cup may be along expected lines, but certain selections are bound to come up for scrutiny given the intensity of the competition as it progresses. But certain inclusions are also bound to be debatable.

First, let us take the inclusion of just seven batsmen in the squad with fitness problems troubling at least three of them, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who pulled out of the Indian squad after playing just one game in the series against South Africa after a hamstring injury, Virender Sehwag, nursing a shoulder injury, as well as opening partner Gautam Gambhir, who was also sent back home at the conclusion of the Test series against South Africa. Also, on the injury list is fast bowler Praveen Kumar. While there is no denying the fact that the World Cup is still a month away and these players should be fit by then, the selectors would have done well if they had included one more specialist batsman, say, Rohit Sharma. Sachin is not getting younger and he was returning to the one-day squad after a long time when another injury scare forced him to take a break.

Time to go ball-istic: Yuvraj Singh will have to rise above poor form to deliver

Now, we come to the bowling department put in place for the World Cup. While there is no denying the fact that the subcontinent strips should help the slow bowlers, the choice of three specialist slow bowlers might well be questioned. India's bowling attack for the World Cup will be significantly different from their standard Test attack, with only Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh being named. The fast bowling pair of S. Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, who helped India to a series-levelling victory over South Africa, have not found a place in the squad while the injured Praveen Kumar has found a place as the fourth seamer. The third seamer in the squad, Asish Nehra, is also prone to injury.

The selectors have picked offspinner R. Ashwin and legspinner Piyush Chawla, ahead of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha to partner Harbhajan Singh in the spin department. While this might make some sense on the subcontinent strips, but when India have so many part-time spinners what was the need for taking an additional spinner at the cost of an additional batsman? Allrounder Yusuf Pathan as also Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Virender Sehwag can turn their arms when the need arises. In fact, in one-day cricket, Sehwag can well be counted as an allrounder.

Piyush Chawla was also something of a surprise pick, though he is part of the one-day squad currently touring South Africa. He has not played any one-day match since the Asia Cup in July 2008, and none of his 21 ODIs have been at home.

Build-up to Big battle

India and South Africa are probably two of the strongest contenders for the World Cup being held in the subcontinent from next month. So, it is but natural that any series, Test or one-day, will be closely followed by cricket lovers. And they were not disappointed. The Test series ended in a 1-1 tie, the first two one-day games were split 1-1, while India won the third ODI.

The Test series against South Africa was probably India’s best chance to set the record books straight, a first-ever Test series against them on their home turf. But that did not happen, especially after India had a horrible time after losing the first game of the series at Supersports Park, Centurion, by an innings. But the visitors came back strongly to win the second game at Durban and by the time the series ended, it could have been anybody’s game if only the South Africans had given the visitors a competitive total to chase in their second innings at Newlands.

Most observers are of the view that the 1-1 drawn result of the three-match Test series between India and South Africa was a very fair outcome. With the two top teams of Test cricket of the ICC’s Test ranking (India at number one with South Africa following at second spot) clashing, the series was expected to be keenly fought, even if punters in the initial stages of the series had predicted a South African win, given the fact that the South Africans were playing at home.

And as the South Africans raced away to a huge win in the first Test of the series, many had predicted that India would find the going extremely difficult in conditions they were absolutely not attuned to. But India came roaring back into the series by winning the second game and when in the last match they had South Africa reeling at six for 130 in their second innings, many had predicted an Indian victory.

But one man, Jacques Kallis (who was nursing an injury sustained while batting in the first innings of the game), changed the whole complexion of the game with a brilliant century which not only made the game safe for the hosts but also deprived India of probably their first series win on South African soil. But in the process of scoring a century and making the game safe for his team, it seemed that the South Africans left too little time for themselves to bowl out the Indians. South Africa waited to be bowled out for 341, setting India a target that, if reached, would have been a record at Newlands. And India after losing the early wicket of one man (Virender Sehwag) who could have probably set up the run chase were content to play out a draw. A more competitive target of anything between 280 and 300 would have served two purposes: one, it would have given the South Africans more time to bowl out the visitors and two, if the target looked realistic then India could well have mounted a run chase, making the game much more interesting. But South Africa probably were troubled by the fact that India in the past had successfully chased plus 250 scores to set up Test victories.

This tour was probably India’s best chance to win a series in South Africa. With three middle-order batsmen as good as Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid unlikely to tour South Africa again, India cannot get past the formidable South Africans in the foreseeable future. It is a chance they missed out after having fought hard to come back in Durban, and, more importantly, having attained a dominant position in Cape Town. The batsmen and, more importantly, the bowlers all clicked at the right time to take India to the doorstep of what would have been a historic win.

Yet, for skipper M.S. Dhoni this tour helped him to maintain his remarkable record as the Indian skipper who has not lost a series so far. After the last Test at Cape Town, the wicketkeeper-captain did concede that the team really had a good chance of registering that elusive series win but was quick to add that he wasn't bitterly disappointed.

The two teams did not unearth any new player but the veterans (if one can call them so) did extremely well for either side. As far as India are concerned Sachin Tendulkar scored one of his more challenging centuries to keep India alive in Cape Town. Also he became the first batsman to score over half a century of Test centuries (a feat one should stand the test of time) while V.V.S. Laxman was just being Laxman in scoring 96 on a pitch where 39 and 38 (Laxman in the first innings) were the next-best scores. Rahul Dravid too did play his part in saving the deciding Test for the team.

This could also be India's last Test series with Gary Kirsten as their coach whose term is scheduled to end with the upcoming World Cup. "I don't know if this is his last Test as India coach but every member loves him and acknowledges and respects the amount of time and devotion that he has given to Indian cricket," Dhoni said at the conclusion of the series. — AC

Fitness mantra
All about Atkins
Sunita Bhatti

Here is a critical analysis of the once-popular Atkins diet, which claims a sure shot weight loss without cutting down fatty foods like meat, cream and cheese.

The Atkins diet is a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrates diet based on the theory that carbohydrates stimulate the production of insulin, which then leads to hunger and weight gain. The Atkins diet is a system that enables our body to lose weight in a natural way by inducing a change in metabolism. Our body is capable of burning both fat and carbohydrates to provide the energy required to function properly. This diet plan is based on four phases. Each individual phase allows you to select foods, as per your requirement to achieve weight loss, enjoy good health and prevent disease. In phase one, carbohydrate consumption is restricted to 20 gm per day. In phase two, carbohydrates up to 25 gm are added in the form of nutrient-dense and fibre-rich foods daily in the first week, 30 gm the next week and so on until your weight loss stops. Then, in phase three, subtract 5 gm of carbohydrates from your daily intake so that moderate weight loss can be sustained. In the final phase, you can select a wide variety of foods while controlling carbohydrate intake to ensure weight maintenance and a sense of well-being.

When we reduce our intake of carbohydrates significantly, our body converts from burning carbohydrates to burning fat as fuel. This process is known as lipolysis. The secondary result of this process is ketosis. When fat is burned for fuel, ketone bodies are released through the breath and urine. This is how we lose weight through the Atkins diet plan and also low insulin production will prevent more fat from being formed. Once we enter the ketosis process, our body begins to efficiently use the fat as fuel and our cravings for carbohydrates will subside.

The Atkins diet has many unique factors that you should consider before attempting to follow it. Here, some of its pros and cons are mentioned.

Many people prefer this diet because there is no need to cut down food you like best, like meat, cream, cheese and other high-fat items.

Eliminates "bad" carbs (refined carbohydrates) such as baked goods like cake and white bread. Foods rich in dietary fibre like non-starchy vegetables can be eaten freely as fibre is not digested.

You are able to find your "ideal" carbohydrate intake level while following this plan.

Many people have lost a lot of weight on this plan. Several Atkins dieters have lost as much as 80 pounds.

The diet does not provide enough energy in the form of carbohydrate, so the body is forced to go into ketosis. This may cause additional burden on the kidneys. Gout and kidney problems may also arise due to high content of protein in the diet.

High amount of animal fat consumption can have a bad effect on cholesterol levels which can lead to cardiac disease.

You'll miss out on vital nutrients supplied by fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This could lead to vitamin deficiencies.

Low-carb diets such as the Atkins plan can adversely affect calcium levels in the body as the long-term high-protein intake increases urinary calcium excretion.

Most Atkins dieters experience constipation, chronic bowel disease and sometimes, dehydration.

Those who return to eating carbs again usually regain all the weight they lost during the diet.

Continued low carbohydrate diet may lead to low serotonin levels in the brain leading to depression.

There is no doubt that the basic principle behind Atkins diet is good. But keeping in mind the adverse effects of a very high protein, high fat and extremely low-carb diet, it is advisable to go in for a moderate approach. Eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrate foods and include mono and polyunsaturated fats and good-quality protein foods like egg white, white meat, fish and tofu in your diet. Personally, I believe that the only safe way to lose weight is to change to healthy eating patterns, which one can sustain. When all the excess weight has gone, you may keep on eating the same healthy diet with moderate increased levels of healthy foods to maintain your weight and say goodbye to yo- yo dieting.

The writer is a dietician, Department of Dietetics, PGI