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A strong batting and bowling line-up has raised hopes of INDIA’s World Cup win in 1983 is the benchmark. It has always been. Ever since Kapil Dev lifted the trophy at the Lord’s 28 years ago, the image has remained etched in the memory of most Indians. A hazy, nebulous image that refuses to die, an image that continues to inspire hope and tell us that it can be done again. Only, it has never been done again. That image has taken a beating at every World Cup since then. We have had six World Cups after the 1983 victory: each time hopes have been raised only to be buried under the debris of a loss. It was a massive heartbreak at the last World Cup in the West Indies in 2007 when India lost their opening match to Bangladesh at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad. They lost another league match at the same venue a few days later to Sri Lanka and were shunted out of the tournament in the preliminary stages. That was a real low. In fact, it was the nadir for Indian cricket. They had hit rock bottom.
But things have turned around since then. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his band of buccaneers have raised hopes of the entire nation again. And we have reason to feel optimistic. This team has done some pretty incredible things in the recent times to engender euphoria in the minds of its followers. The Indian selectors (led by Krish Srikkanth) have done their bit by naming a balanced side that has been entrusted with onerous task of bringing back the Cup. Apart from a couple of debatable choices, the selectors (for the most part) have done a reasonable job. Or, so it seems (on the surface). Dhoni is at the helm, as he should have been. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag make for a formidable opening pair. With Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan to follow`85 this seems like a dream middle-order. The bowling looks equally incisive with Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh leading the pack. So, the Cup looks ‘as good as won’. Only, this is the line-up on paper. This bunch has to soak up all the pressure, which, at home, will be immense, and do it out in the middle — which is where it actually counts. (For the record, till date, no team has won the World Cup at home. Sri Lanka, in 1996, won as co-hosts. But they beat Australia in the final at Lahore, which was not home). So, India will have to create history. They will have to conquer the demons within and they will have to do it in front of a massive, vast, even fervent audience. Though the nucleus of the side is a good one, the selectors could have done things a bit differently rather than send out some wrong signals at the very outset. Even in your wildest dreams, you cannot come up with the idea of a ‘compromise formula’ when picking the side for something as important as the World Cup. Yet, this is what they did. Dhoni and coach Gary Kirtsen wanted Piyush Chawla. Srikkanth and BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan wanted R. Ashwin. Net result? Both Chawla and Ashwin were accommodated in the side as a ‘compromise formula’. But apart from this one-off gaffe, the outfit chosen seems to be balanced and the passage to the quarter-final stage should be smooth. India have been placed in Group B (along with South Africa, England, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands) and the top four teams from this group will make to the knockout stage. India’s trickiest moment, it seems, might be right at the start when they take on Bangladesh in the opening game of the World Cup on February 19 at Mirpur. At home, Bangladesh can be quite dangerous. It is, after all, the same team that upset India in their opening game at the last World Cup and there will be some lurking memories of that loss in the minds of some the players. Kirsten, Dhoni and the boys don’t need to be unduly concerned about Bangladesh. They just need to be steady and sure of themselves. South Africa and England are strong as well but India, in familiar home conditions, should knock these teams over. Spin seems to be the mantra in these conditions, and the Indian team has a plethora of spinners. They also have some solid hitters and game-changers in the form of Sehwag and Pathan, who should revel on flat, dry and docile home wickets. India’s fielding, too, has been ignited by an injection of youth with Suresh Raina, Kohli and Pathan being fast and agile. Others like Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Tendulkar remain safe and steady. So, are there any worries for the Indian team? Sure, there are. ONE: Players like Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir are still recuperating from injuries and need to be 100 per cent fit. Will they be fit in time? They should be, but you never really can tell with these injuries. The injuries have a nasty and strange habit of flaring up at the wrong time. So, there is an element of risk involved. Already the team has lost Praveen Kumar, who has been replaced by S Sreesanth. TWO: The tag of favourites can sometimes sit heavy on young shoulders and create extra pressure. Apart from everything else, Indian players will have to deal with that as well. THREE: Playing in the one-day series in South Africa will count for little as the pitches for the World Cup will be entirely different. FOUR: The knockout stage is like a lottery. One bad game and you could be out of the equation. India will need to peak gradually and be at the top of their game when the knockout phase begins. But even after taking all these worries into account, it is tempting to predict that India can still become the first team ever to win the World Cup at home. They can become the team that emulates the feat achieved by Kapil’s ‘Devils’ after 28 years. They can stop the Australians from winning a fourth consecutive World Cup crown. This team has the wherewithal to do it. This team will surely play hard. And, whatever the outcome, it surely will be fun to watch.
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