Hi All,
After just watching the 5th One Day International against the West Indies, I thought of adding my opinion on our Indian Cricket Team and the World Cup.
After winning the Ahmedabad game by chasing a huge 325, here in baroda they finished 2nd Best. But also remember that Sanjay Bangar was cleanly caught behind when he hadnt even scored 10 !!! in Ahmedabad and it was he more than Rahul Dravid who hammered them after that chance.
The pattern of the series is that the wickets here for this series are batsmen friendly and both teams are having good batsmen. Given any target they are able to chase it.
Now for the big issue, after ahmedabad win, we start assuming, we can win the cup. Well I dont have a problem with anyone dreaming but then with the pathetic bowling and fielding we have it will be just a dream otherwise.
Let me be frank here, we dont have a single bowler who we can state as a Strike Bowler when it comes to bowling abroad and now even here on our own soil we are exposed. The wickets in the test series were spin oriented as always has been the case and india won comfortably.
Considering that the West Indies is one of the weakest team in International Cricket and still though they have taken the indian bowlers to tasks, itself speaks of our bowling and fielding.
Going back to time, recall that we defeated England by chasing 325 and we did share the tropy in Sri Lanka.
But can we chase such huge targets against Australia and South Africa, who have better fast bowlers and play on lively pitches.
True some years back we defeated Australia in Sharjah by chasing 2 huge totals of 275 plus scores but it was the genius of Sachin Tendulkar who was responsible for those victories.
But even in those victories I have just said huge totals and we come back to the same point the bowling and fielding.
I feel when we go to SA for the World Cup where the Indians will not get the kind pitches we get here, it will be difficult for the indian batsmen to play as freely as they are doing here and following it will be the bowling, which is always a question mark.
Javagal Srinath is a good bowler, but not in the class of a Glenn Mcgrath. Harbhajan is also a good bowler but never in the class of Murlitharan. Zaheer Khan was there in England in the finals, but there was little difference made to the England Score of 325. Kumble is never a threat abroad.
5 matches till now and the opposition kept hammering the indian bowling. These 5 matches are more than enough to judge the indian bowling attack.
Considering the current series, both teams have the worst bowling attack and when they go into the world cup, there is no place for excuses. You have to play the best and to me the best 2 contenders there are, Australia the No. 1 and South Africa who will perhaps also have the home advantage.
The Australian bowling attack is perhaps the best and add to it the fielding advantage. South Africa might not have the best bowling attack but they have fast bowlers who are better than the other teams and their fielding is the best. Apart from having the home advantage.
It looks unlikely that we might be able to find strike bowlers or even bowlers who can restrict the opposition, in the World Cup restricting the opposition. Catches win matches and it has been proved in the past that these against these 2 teams an opposition cannot take the kind of freedom that indian batsmen are taking against the weakest West Indian attack.
Tendulkar is an exception, he batting is a gift of God to him and he can change the course or important matches. But same cannot be said of the rest of the indian batsmen.
Considering everything I feel the best chance of winning the cup, honestly still goes to Australia and South Africa.
But still hoping for the best, my best wishes to the Indian Cricket Team.
Good Luck
Hemant