Dhoni's clout and confidence reflected in World Cup squad

Dhoni seems to have chalked out plans for each game and, in his own mind, may have picked the first XI 

Skipper MS Dhoni's clout and confidence come through tellingly when we cast even a cursory look at the Indian squad that has been named for the challenge of defending the 2015 ICC World Cup crown in Australia and New Zealand from next month. The 15 picked for duty at the World Cup are those who have been on the radar over the past year or so.
Clearly, he does not buy into theory that a legspinner would do well on large grounds in Australia and on wearing tracks at the end of the season there. Even more clearly, while Ambati Rayudu can stand in as a wicketkeeper if push comes to shove, Dhoni may be confident that he will face no fitness issues himself and thus made a case against a reserve wicketkeeper.
Come to think of it, it does not seem to matter to him which four players wear the reserves' jerseys since he may be quite assured of the playing XI in each game. Of course, Dhoni often throws up surprises but it is a good guess that a couple of players would end up being among the reserves throughout the campaign.
For just a moment, let us slip into a tour selectors' role and look at the composition of the XI at the World Cup to be able to decipher the skipper's confidence.
Shikhar Dhawan will open the innings with either Ajinkya Rahane or Rohit Sharma while Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina would bat at Nos 3 and 4. Rohit Sharma or Rahane would bat ahead of Dhoni. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin and Stuart Binny would be vying for two slots at Nos 7 and 8, leaving the last three to the fast-medium bowlers.
So who will wear the reserves' jerseys? Surely, the one spare batsman, Rayudu, the extra fast bowler, Umesh Yadav, and two of the four slower bowlers who miss out on the Nos. 7 and 8 slots - Binny and Patel would be good guesses. Ideally, another top-notch batsman should be available for selection.
Ravindra Jadeja's selection, in anticipation of his regaining match fitness after suffering a shoulder injury during fielding practice in Australia, is an indication of how integral he is to the skipper's plans. If Jadeja gets to peak fitness, Axar could well be among the perennial reserves but someone who could gain a great deal of experiences by getting under the Big Top now.
Rayudu may get a berth in the XI only if one of three openers fails to find wonted touch in the World Cup and forces Dhoni's hands to look at making a change in the batting composition. And, given his penchant to concede runs, Umesh may at best be the India pacer-in-waiting.
Ashwin and Binny could trade spots in the XI with one another, depending on the nature of the tracks in Australia and New Zealand. At the moment, it does appear that Ashwin could feature in the XI more regularly than the medium-fast bowling allrounder who may have been picked primarily to give the skipper an additional option on a seaming track.
Clearly, Dhoni seems to have chalked out plans for each game and, in his own mind, may have picked the first XI and influenced the selectors' thinking when it came to their choices of the reserves. It will be interesting to see then which bowlers he trusts the task of bowling in the death and what he does in case one of the preferred batsmen does not find the wanton touch.