It
is world cup time and the fever has caught on with everyone naming their teams
for the world cup and I would like to jump on this bandwagon to name my team
too. I just saw Dada and Sunny pick their teams on telly. Everyone in India is
a cricket expert and I am a proud Indian, so here goes my thoughts on the team
I think will help us retain the world cup.
I have a strong feeling about this. I see some signs which say a
different story. Maybe I am reading too much into it. I wanted to capture it here to see how things actually pan
out.
Shikhar Dhawan opens with Rohit.
Shikhar is a done deal and will definitely be the first opener who
picks himself.
Rohit is a great pick who will win you matches on his day. His
consistency is suspect and he may misfire more often than not. He is worth the gamble though.
Ajinkya gives a close competition and I would pick him over Rohit
if there is a choice between the two. I choose to keep him at 3 assuming Rohit
will fall early. His calm head and running between the wickets will bring in
the required stability.
Kohli will be number 4. He can build an innings, or give it tempo
if we bat first and lead the chase effectively from this position. He is the
key whose success most often translates into India’s success.
Suresh Raina will be number 5. He picks himself into any Indian
limited overs team. Only his number is in question and I choose to have him at 5.
Number 6 is the surprise I strongly feel about. He was not picked
by Dada or Sunny. He was the key member of the 2011 winning team and I think he
is destined to play a similar role this time around too. A strong performance
from the top 5 will give him the freedom to play a cameo. His experience in
tight situations will help him in setting the stage for a strong finish in our captain’s
company. No one can disagree what a potential match winner he is. His desire
and hunger to be part of one more winning world cup team seals the deal for me.
He has scored 3 centuries in 3 successive Ranji matches till the time I write
this piece. Ravindra Jadeja has injured himself and created an opening for him.
Providence? I think everything has fallen into place for him to make a
spectacular comeback to the Indian team. I am sure Dhoni will ask for him and
he will sneak in. His addition will add a lot of value and have in place the
right balance of spark and stability, in people who can account and step up to perform well in
Dhoni is the number 7. No comment needed.
Rayudu is the backup batsman.
Bowling will be made up by specialists (3 medium pacers and a spinner.
Rohit, Raina, Virat and Yuvi can pitch in)
Medium Pacers will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami and Ishant/Umesh in
that order.
Spinners will be Ashwin/Axar in that order.
I
think we will do pretty well and give everyone a run for their money with this
team.
