India’s World Cup Squad has been announced, and 15 of the best players from the country have been selected. We are generally happy with the squad except for the omission of Varun Aaron, India’s fastest bowler.
Not selecting Aaron is a glaring mistake and which means that, except for Umesh Yadav, the Indian bowling seriously lacks in pace. But never mind, you can only play with the players you have been given, so here’s our analysis of the prospects of the 15 players in India’s World Cup squad in Australia as India defend their World Cup.
MS Dhoni (C) – India’s Captain Courageous, the man who won the last World Cup for the country has quit Test cricket already, and nobody knows if he is likely to play One Day Internationals or Twenty20s for long if India does badly in the World Cup. Dhoni does his best in limited overs cricket, and nobody handles pressure quite like him. He should do well in this World Cup, both as a batsman and as a captain. The biggest problem, he has is the limited bowling attack he has been given, which means that he is likely to be under pressure from the entire competition.
Shikhar Dhawan – Shikhar’s career has never quite reached the highs that he did at the very start, when he made the fastest debut century against Australia, and later when he was India’s best batsman at the ICC World Series Championship in England. A poor performance in Australia could end his international career.
Rohit Sharma – Rohit has been one of the most inconsistent batsmen India has ever had. Plays like an absolute master in one match only to do nothing at all in the next 10. Has to be more consistent, and has to do something to justify his talent.
Ajinkya Rahane – Rahane has been India’s best player alongside Kohli, whether in Tests or on ODIs and a lot depends on his performance. He is absolutely critical to Dhoni’s plans.
Virat Kohli – Virat is without question a batting superstar, and if India has to win the World Cup in Australia, in spite of their weak bowling, Virat will have to perform miracles, match after match. Can he really handle the pressure? Remains to be seen.
Suresh Raina – Raina has a serious problem against fast rising bouncers. While he is terrific on slow subcontinental pitches, on fast Aussie wickets, he is almost a walking wicket. We don’t expect much from him.
Ambati Rayudu – Rayudu is untested in Australian conditions. Perhaps the tri-series between India, Australia and England will show if he is any good on the fast Aussie pitches against the fastest bowlers in the world.
Ravindra Jadeja – Jadeja’s inclusion is a surprise because of his injury. But if he does play, he would play a critical role as an all-rounder. However, his bowling hasn’t been all that good recently and he faces a tough competition to hold on to his spot from young Axar Patel.
R Ashwin – Ashwin’s career has never really taken off as expected. He hasn’t really achieved any great success in his playing career, but seems to be strangely satisfied, if one goes by his interviews. Nobody really is scared of his spin bowling, to be honest. He is another player who we expect to do badly in the World Cup.
Axar Patel – Axar is a surprise inclusion and we expect him to feature prominently in India’s matches as he is a genuine talent, is hungry and determined to perform and prove himself. He may even play ahead of Ashwin or Jadeja.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar – Kumar is a selfless, untiring bowler with severe limitations. His pace hardly ever goes beyond 130 kmh. On Indian conditions, that’s okay, but in Australia, he is likely to be smashed around the park. His inclusion in the Indian side is a big mistake in Australian conditions.
Ishant Sharma – Ishant is another Indian player who has never justified the hype around him and his pace seems to be in a permanent decline. And yet, given the severe limitations in the Indian squad, he is likely to play every match. Let’s see how well this turns out.
Mohammad Shami – Shami’s inclusion in place of Varun Aaron does not make sense. Shami is a very ordinary bowler, lacks pace, lacks guile and his control is not something to boast about. We never understood his selection in any Indian squad, and we don’t get his selection for this World Cup either.
Stuart Binny – We are sorry to say this, but Stuart Binny is in the Indian World Cup squad for one reason and one reason only. His father, Roger Binny is a member of the selection committee. His selection is an embarrassment for those of us who love Indian cricket.
Umesh Yadav – The only fast bowler in the Indian squad, and perhaps the only threat any opposition faces from the Indian bowling attack. Umesh is fast, strong and effective, and we expect him to do very well. The only problem is that he won’t get any support from the other end, and has to do it all by himself.
