Smarten up, SPINNERS
Sunil Narula

After being let down by the bowlers and fielders in the match against England, it is time for Team India to get its act together for the upcoming matches

Part-time bowlers like Yuvraj Singh (L) and Yusuf Pathan have been given the task of stemming the flow of runs in the middle stages but they cannot be expected to run through the opposition batting line-up Photos: AFP, PTI

Action has well and truly picked up in the World Cup now and we have had a good look at all teams. Most matches till now have been rather one-sided and only a few games have been enthralling. Without doubt, the best match so far has been the engrossing tie between India and England at Bengaluru.

Although the Indian batsmen accumulated runs at a hectic pace in that match, most experts are of the opinion that the outcome of that game has exposed quite a few chinks in the Indian team's armour. The batting has gone from strength to strength, but in all other departments the team's staunch image of pre-tournament favourites has taken a real beating. When Sreesanth had a bad game against Bangladesh in the World Cup opener, it was felt that this was just a case of nerves and the Indian think-tank will get it right in the next match against England.

But against England, it was revealed that the malady runs much deeper than was initially imagined. The Indian team is indeed woefully short of a genuine wicket-taking bowler. And the fielding is not even close to being electric.

Part-time bowlers like Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan have been tasked to stem the flow of runs in the middle stages. But, quite frankly, they cannot be blamed. Part-timers will be part-timers and cannot be expected to run through the opposition batting line-up.

The onus of getting wickets rests squarely on the shoulders of the strike bowlers — Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh — and they have really not lived up to the pre-tournament hype. Zaheer scalped two wickets in two balls against England but that strike came too late in the innings and Harbhajan has concentrated more on checking the run rate than going for the wickets.

Things have come to such a stage that it appears quite unlikely that the Indians will be able to bowl out the opposition. They will have to rely mainly on restricting the runs. And that can never be a team's strong point. Truth is that the Indian team does not have a genuinely fast bowler who can worry the rival batsmen with the fury of his pace. (someone likely Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel). In such a scenario, the fielding becomes all the more important. When you have an average bowling attack (like India do) it has to be backed up by extraordinarily sharp fielding. Sadly, the Indian fielding has been extraordinarily sloppy in the tournament so far.

India's next two games are against Ireland (tomorrow) and The Netherlands and they will surely win both with plenty to spare. But their real test will be against South Africa and whichever team wins that crucial game will top the group.

India have to seriously consider giving an attacking role to their spinners. It will be a smart ploy to have Harbhajan bowl in tandem with R. Ashwin. And it will be an even smarter move to try and open the bowling with Ashwin. (The other spinner Piyush Chawla showed signs of being nervous against England and the occasion seems too daunting for him. Ashwin looks the better bet).

Ashwin had opened the bowling in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings and had been very successful. Moreover, such a bold move can take the opposition by surprise and force them to alter their tactics as well. To beat South Africa at Nagpur, India will have to take the initiative and attack them. And the best way to do that might be to open the bowling with Ashwin at one end and Zaheer at the other.

In order to have an easy match in the next knockout stage, India will have to top their group. If they lose to South Africa, there is every danger of meeting either Australia or Pakistan in the quarterfinal.  And such a scenario can be fraught with danger.

After being let down by his bowlers and fielders in the match against England, it's time for Dhoni to get his act together. Another slip-up of a similar nature against South Africa can mean curtains down for his team. The elusive Cup will not come easily in Dhoni's grasp. He will have to reach out and grab it. And for that to happen, some audacious moves are required. Fast.

Fitness mantra
Slice of SPRING
Ratna Bose

Thinkstockphotos/ Getty Images

Some countries have well-defined seasons of spring, summer, winter and autumn and India is among them. When one season changes to other, there should be changes in our diet and lifestyle to deal with the changing weather, which helps our body to acclimatise.

One might gain a few pounds during winters because of a reduction in physical activity and a tendency to eat more than normal during the holiday season. It may be advisable to modify one’s diet as spring comes. During spring, there is usually a marked increase in temperatures, leading people to spend more time outdoors and naturally, expend more calories.

Every person requires a different type of diet, depending on the work they do and how they travel. Those who follow a sedentary lifestyle should be consuming less caloric food. During spring one should include the following things in the diet:

Eating the seasonal fruits and vegetables such as apples, mushrooms, radish, broccoli, spinach, coriander, cauliflower, onions etc.

Nuts like dates, walnuts, peanuts, chestnuts and peanuts.

Cereals, grains and legumes i.e brown rice, barley, millet, oatmeal, sorgum, soybeans, black gram, red kidney bean, broad beans and bran.

Chicken, egg, and lean meat should be preferred.

Buttermilk, lemon water, ice tea is good to drink.

Eat whole, fresh, natural foods, organic if you can get it. Buy your produce fresh, and consume it quickly.

Eat cooked foods, warm or at room temperature. Drink lots of water throughout the day. It is best to consume water in between meals. If one can’t have plain water, just add a slice of lemon or orange to it. A detoxifying "tea" is even better. Coriander, cumin, fennel and ajwain (carum copticum) are the digestion-enhancing spices to choose from.

Things to be avoided: The don’ts include eating sweets, acidic and oily products. Curd and fermented food should be avoided.

In this season people are often prone to respiratory illnesses. A good food for this time is honey. Use it as a sweetener in food and drinks. You can also eat it straight.

Spring is a season where new life begins. There are new plants sprouting, resulting in positive energy everywhere. So, one should try and add lots of sprouts to the diet.

FRUIT SALAD Serving size: 2 bowls Ingredients 2 bananas, 1 apple, 2 oranges, 1 bunch green/ black grapes, Few strawberries, 1 lemon (juice), Mint Method: Peel and cut all fruits, add banana and apple in the end to avoid browning. Pour lemon juice immediately on fruits. Refrigerate it and serve the fruit salad chilled. Note: Salt and chat masala can also be used SPROUTS Serving size: 4 bowls Ingredients 1 ½ cup sprouts moong 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1 cup chopped cucumber 1 sliced lemon 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (hara dhania) 1 seeded and chopped green chilli (optional) Salad dressing ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste 1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds (jeera) 1 teaspoon lemon juice, adjust to taste 2 tablespoons hung curd 1 tablespoon ginger juice 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon olive oil Method: Mix all the salad dressing ingredients together. Keep aside. Next cook the sprouts with salt and ¼ cup of water in a saucepan as it comes to boil turn off the heat. Cover the pan for about 3 to 4 minutes, drain any liquid. Let the sprouts cool to room temperature and add the dressing. Garnish the salad. MIXED VEGETABLE SALAD Serving size: 3 bowls Ingredients 50 gms French beans 3-4 carrots 1 small cabbage 100gms broccoli 1 capsicum Salt to taste 1 tomato (cut into thin rings) 2 green chillies (slit vertically) Finely chopped coriander leaves 1 lemon juice Black pepper powder to taste Method: Cut and steam the vegetables. Add tomatoes, green chilies salt, pepper powder and lemon juice, and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

The writer is the chief dietician, Department of Dietetics, PGI