World Cup musings: Do India look like title defenders?

Shikhar Dhawan's poor form at the top is a major concern for India heading into the World Cup. 

India is definitely not looking the team that is capable of defending its world title. Plagued by injuries and a rather ordinary bowling attack, there seems to be far too much dependence on Virat Kohli and the batting. Can the Indians turn the tables in the biggest stage of all and can they salvage some pride in the remaining two matches of the tri-series? Here's Boria Majumdar and Jamie Alter discussing the teams' chances in one of many conversations that will continue right through the World Cup.

Boria- It certainly does not look good for a start. The crushing defeat against England has seriously affected fans' faith. Nothing seems to be working. But you know what, India had a similar build up in 2003. The poor performances in New Zealand prior to the World Cup acted like a wake up call and India did brilliantly in South Africa. Do you think such a thing is a realistic proposition this time round?

Jamie- (Laughs). I like your optimism Boria, but I don't intend to think so far back. In fact, I don't look too far ahead either. I am seriously skeptical that with the bowling attack at our disposal, how India fares in the World Cup. The bowling doesn't look incisive at all and most of the bowlers are struggling with injuries. Make no mistake; it is a serious cause for concern.

Boria- I agree but it's ODI cricket and as Rahul Dravid has suggested, three big days from our batsmen and we can still retain the trophy. The format is such that India will make the quarters. After that, it is a matter of three games isn't it? Anyway, let's talk about the combination- Shikhar Dhawan isn't getting any runs. In fact, he is struggling. Would you continue with him or get Rahane and Rohit at the top for the start of the World Cup?

Jamie- I'd rather get Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane once Rohit recovers from injury. Now that we have not picked Vijay, we have limited options at the top. Multiple failures will further dent Shikhar's confidence and there's no point getting an out of form batsman to play against Pakistan in a seriously high pressure game in Adelaide. Rahane and Rohit are in good form and I'd want to start with them. Also, and this is most important, I'd get Virat Kohli back at three. Every team has their best batter at three and India should be no different. Ricky Ponting had won Australia many a match batting at three and Virat has an exceptional record batting at three. Get him back to his best position and give him the maximum chance of winning you the match. This trying to protect him at number four or trying to ensure he is there to manoeuvre once the new ball loses its shine doesn't work for me. Also, there are two new balls these days so the balls will hardly lose their shine in the first 20 overs. What is your take about Virat at three?

Boria- I tend to agree with you. Sachin Tendulkar opened the batting for India in 2003 and had maximum success. The initial thought was to bat him at No 4. Trying to protect your best is a defensive act. But the fact is, he is your best because he has maximum talent and is the man to win you the most number of games. So I'd go with you and say bring Virat back at three and make him as comfortable as possible.

Jamie- At four, five and six, I'd have Ambati Rayadu, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. There's hardly any option and Dhoni and Raina are the two match winners we have. More importantly, I'd go with Axar Patel at 7 even if Ravindra Jadeja recovers for Pakistan. Jadeja hasn't played any cricket at all for two months and to get him back for the Pakistan game will be too big a risk. I can continue with Binny as well because he has shown glimpses of talent in the England game but I'd not want to risk Jadeja.

Boria- I'd disagree on this. If possible, play Jadeja in at least one of the warm up matches, we play Afghanistan on 10 February, and get him match ready. Axar's batting is a serious concern and Jadeja brings stability at number 7. Else the tail becomes too long and Dhoni too gets constrained in trying to accelerate. I think the most important selection conundrum for India at the moment is the number 7 slot. I agree with your point about Binny, but for me, it's Jadeja at seven and only if you can't play him should you think of Binny.

Jamie- Against Pakistan, it's Ashwin who is my first choice as spinner. He bats better and has the experience of the big stage and then, I will opt for the three quicks in Mohd Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav. Umesh has that X-factor and I still prefer him over Ishant despite not bowling at his best.

Boria- I agree. Someone who can bowl the way he did against Australia at the death is an enigma of sorts. How can he be pedestrian in the very next game again? That's where the coach and the management need to talk to him. But I agree with the bowling line-up. Ashwin surely has to be the first spinner.

Jamie- All said and done it's a very tough ask, you know, when you think of some of the other teams like Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and the way they are playing.

Kohli should bat at No 4 if it suits India's strategy: Richards

Kohli has struggled for form in the tri-series.

Virat Kohli's form may have taken a hit since dropping down to No 4 in the batting order. However, West Indian legend Sir Viv Richards feels that the aggressive batsman should continue to bat at No 4, if that is what the Indian team requires. Kohli played at that position in the first two losses at Melbourne and Brisbane, scoring nine and four runs, respectively and that resulted in a huge debate in the cricketing circles. However, skipper MS Dhoni later justified this ploy saying that it allows the star batsman to control the innings, whether batting first or chasing a target.

"I believe batting at No 4 is quite a good position for any good batsman," said Richards."On these bouncy Australian wickets, there will always be some batsmen who are going to get outdone by that, especially early in the order. It makes sense to have Kohli bat at that position in such a scenario as he can dictate terms whatever situation the match is in."

Kohli has quickly climbed up the popularity charts, not only among the fans but also among his colleagues, present and past. Richards, on his part, has always been a fan of Kohli's attacking batsmanship. Kohli has even drawn parallels with Australian great, Ricky Ponting. Both Richards and Ponting though, played for most part of their careers at No 3.

"There are always some people who say that your best player should come in at No 3. But it is tough to say these things from the outside and you don't know the team situation and you have to consider the conditions as well that are also an obvious factor here," Richards explained.

"In Australia and New Zealand you can lose wickets quickly and with Kohli at No 3, he might be vulnerable. Coming in at No 4, he will have a better perspective of the innings going forward. Whether batting first or chasing, he will know the requirements and bat accordingly," he said.

Richards summed up by saying that Kohli is good enough to bat at any position and win matches for his team. "As the best batsman of the side, you want him to play more overs. But he also has to be comfortable doing the job for you. I am sure this is something the team management ought to have discussed among themselves."

WC team preview: Sri Lanka hope to be third time lucky

Sri Lanka will be keen on lifting the finals jinx that has affected them during the last two ODI World Cups. 

Sri Lanka will hope to be third time lucky after disappointments in the 2007 and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cups, where they finished runners-up to Australia and India respectively. Going into the 2015 edition, they have one of the more balanced teams and the most experienced one as well. Mahela Jayawardne, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga have been part of the two heartbreaks before and this could be their year to lift the trophy which they first won way back in 1996. After breaking the jinx of the final by winning the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh last year, Sri Lanka go into the tournament as one of the favourites.

Group: Pool A

Captain: Angelo Mathews

Strengths

Sri Lanka may have the oldest squad among the title contenders, but experience-wise, no other team comes close to them. Jayawardene, Sangakkara and Dilshan have played over a thousand ODIs combined and on the pacy tracks of Australia and New Zealand, their experience will be a big boost. Sangakkara has been in prolific form in all formats and was the most successful ODI batsman of 2014 with 1,256 runs in 28 innings at 46.51. The fact that this is the last World Cup for the three pillars of Sri Lankan batting, will get the team extra motivated to go the distance this time around, similar to how India rode on the emotions of Sachin Tendulkar's final World Cup to deliver the goods.

Malinga's participation in the World Cup is in doubt but if reports are to be believed, his recovery from the ankle niggle has been satisfactory and if fit, he, along with Nuwan Kulasekara and Rangana Herath, will make the Sri Lankan bowling attack one of the most potent ones in the tournament.

Weaknesses

If there is any weakness, it is at the top of the order, where Sri Lanka have not been able to find a solid opener to partner the 38-year-old Dilshan. Dimuth Karunaratne at the top has not been amongst the runs even as Dilshan has provided the starts, and in all likelihood Jayawardene will return to the top. Dinesh Chandimal, another highly rated player, too has not been able to justify the faith shown in him by the selectors. He is being nurtured to take over the mantle from Sangakkara but with an average of just 29.73 from 90 ODIs, he has a long way to go. 

X-factor

If fit, Malinga will be the X-factor for Sri Lanka. Be it with the new ball or at the death, he is a valuable asset for the team and has the ability to turn the game. He has not played since an arthroscopic surgery in September, and even though he has been bowling in the nets sparingly, Sri Lanka are clearly preserving him for the World Cup and will hope to have him fully fit for the tournament. 

Otherwise, it is tough to look beyond the numbers Angelo Mathews racked up in 2014. He was first batsman in 2014 to score over 1000 ODI runs and in the 32 ODIs he played last year, the allrounder managed to notch up nine fifty-plus scores, coming into bat in the lower-order. He was economical with the ball as well and emerged as strong leader from the shadows of his more illustrious team-mates.

Dark Horse

In Thisara Perera, Sri Lanka have a decent fast bowling allrounder and in the seamer-friendly tracks of Australia and New Zealand, he will be useful. Primarily a lower-order hitter, Perera can also surprise the batsman with his bounce and is an excellent outfielder. Sri Lanka have been trying out Jeevan Mendis and Perera in the second allrounder's spot in the XI, and Perara is likely to get the nod ahead of Mendis.

ODI form guide

vs England: Won 3, lost 2 (away)
vs South Africa: Won 1, lost 2 (home)
vs Pakistan: Won 2, lost 1 (home)
vs India: Won 0, lost 5 (away)
vs England: Won 5, lost 2 (home)

What they did in the 2011 World Cup

They finished runners-up to India in the final at the Wankhede Stadium, despite a valiant 103 by Mahela Jayawerdene. In the group stages they steamrolled their lesser opponents, but lost to Pakistan by 11 runs and their game against Australia produced no result due to torrential downpour. After finishing second in Group A, they got the better of England by 10 wickets in the quarter-finals. They also managed to defeat New Zealand twice in the tournament once in the Group stages by 112 runs and then in the semi-final by five wickets. Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan was the top-scorer of the tournament scoring 500 runs from eight matches.

Squad

Angelo Mathews (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake.

Fixtures

February 14: New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
February 22: Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, University Oval, Dunedin
February 26: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
March 1: England vs Sri Lanka, Westpac stadium, Wellington
March 8: Australia vs Sri Lanka, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
March 11: Scotland vs Sri Lanka, Bellerive Oval, Hobart

World Cup Countdown #20 - The toss controversy

Cricket is perhaps the only sport where the fate of the match could be sealed by the call of the captain. Sometimes, the odds of winning a match are greatly increased by the ability to win the toss. There's nothing called a 'good toss to lose', unless the opposition blunder and hand over the initiative. Captains invariably hope for the coin to fall the correct side so that they can decide whether to bat first or put the opposition to bat depending on the conditions of the pitch as they read it.

Tosses become even more crucial in big matches and no match can ever be bigger than the Cricket World Cup final. India played Sri Lanka in the decider of the 2011 World Cup. Needless to say, it was going to be a huge match in the careers of many players from both sides. In pristine batting conditions, it was also inevitable that the captain winning the toss would invariably choose to bat first. 

One look at history and everyone knew that the advantage lay with the team batting first. In seven of the previous nine World Cup finals, the team batting first had won the match. The case was reversed in 1996 when Sri Lanka, riding on a crest of momentum chased down a challenging target set by Australia. It was the other way round in 1999. Having played cricket of the highest caliber on their way to the final, sub-continental giants Pakistan collapsed against Steve Waughs Australia in a rather one-sided affair.

On April 2, 2011, when MS Dhoni flipped the coin in front of a raucous Wankhede crowd in Mumbai, nobody was sure about the pandemonium that it might result in. It's still unclear as to what Kumar Sangakkara, the rival skipper, called. In the midst of the entire din, his answer went unheard, by Dhoni, match referee Jeff Crowe and Ravi Shastri - the toss presenter.

There has been two tales to the controversy Former England captain, Michael Vaughan , tweeted almost immediately and was pretty convinced that Dhoni had won the toss. In an apparent reference to Sangakkara, he went on to claim that the Sri Lankan captain had called wrongly and there was a bit of skullduggery involved. On the other hand, a leading cricket website claimed that the television producers clearly heard Sangakkara calling correctly, only for Dhoni and Crowe to miss it completely.

In the eventuality, the toss was replayed and Sangakkara called it correctly the second time around, beaming as he elected to bat first, much to the dismay of the Indian captain and hordes of partisan supporters. But as fate willed, that was the only thing Dhoni did wrong on that day. Chasing 275, he promoted himself ahead of Man of the Series, Yuvraj Singh, and went on to play a spell-binding unbeaten knock of 91. 

With the Indians emerging victorious, the controversy surrounding the toss fiasco was soon forgotten. In hindsight, one captain knew that something was amiss. Would the issue have died down completely had India lost the final? Thats a question to which we do not know the answer even today.

Dalmiya may be Srinivasan's president candidate

                       

As per the situation at the moment, Jagmohan Dalmiya will probably be unveiled as the new candidate for the president's post. 

The reality seems to be sinking in that N Srinivasan cannot contest the BCCI elections. But the president-in-exile, who left for Sringeri Mutt right after the Supreme Court verdict came out, is not devastated.
The ICC chairman is happy that the Supreme Court has observed that he is clean and was not part of any cover-up operation for his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan. At the same time, he understands the implications of the judgement which says that there is a conflict of interest.
Though Srinivasan is not ready to make public his final decision on whether he would contest as the BCCI president, he knows that the situation is tricky. It has been decided that once Srinivasan is back from Sringeri in a couple of days, a BCCI meeting will be convened in Chennai.
As per the situation at the moment, Jagmohan Dalmiya will probably be unveiled as the new candidate for the president's post. "We have spoken to him today. He looks the favourite," a member of the Srinivasan camp said. Arun Jaitley, who met Srinivasan on Sunday at his residence in Chennai following his meeting with former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, is not averse to Dalmiya being a presidential candidate.
But before that, there might be a last-ditch effort to ensure that Srinivasan stays in the saddle as BCCI president. Chennai Super Kings has already been made a separate company under the India Cements umbrella and it comes into effect from January 1. "We haven't yet presented the demerger details to the court, it will be done very soon," a source close to the developments pointed out.
But India Cements controls 100% shares of the new company India Cements Private Limited and it is unlikely that the Lodha committee will buy the theory that India Cements MD Srinivasan is not the actual boss.
There is absolutely no chance that Srinivasan will step down as the MD of India Cements just to continue as BCCI president. The only other option left for Srinivasan is to sell off controlling shares of Chennai Super Kings Private Limited. But will that help?

Travails of an Indian journalist in Australia

                                 

MS Dhoni's silence on the Rohit-Warner spat had the Australian media in disbelief. 

One has to be a super sleuth when on trail of an Indian cricket team overseas. No other team in world cricket is kept as guarded as Indian national team. The BCCI officials excel at keeping the media at more than an arm's length. Teams like Australia and England may have their differences with the media over many issues, but they don't shy away. They still have regular interactions, and face the media even when asked uncomfortable questions. The team's media coordinator willingly lines up players for the media, almost every day. They give out a detailed schedule, keeping the media well informed and providing complete information for those who may have not been able to attend the briefings.
As for the Indian journalists, their only contact with the Indian players is at the pre and post match press activity, which is mandated by the ICC. India's media manager is at best a one-liner man. Take, for example, his email to the media on Thursday. It says: India's schedule for next three days: 22.01.15: No training 23.01.15: Optional from 2 pm 24.01.15: No training, that's it. India will, of course, practice and have the mandatory media interaction on the eve of the match on Sunday and after the game on Monday. That will be the only source of information on the team. Other than that, there are no updates on the injuries and fitness of the players, nor any schedule is made out for media to talk to the players. When request is made, the standard answer is: BCCI has barred the players from talking to the media.
On the other hand, Australian opener David Warner was grilled by the media the day after he was fined by the ICC and warned by the CA for his on-field spat with Rohit Sharma. CA also made him face the music and handle uncomfortable questions for his wrong doing. The following day, he was dropped from the squad for the Hobart match. When the media asked Dhoni for his views on the Rohit-Warner spat, he just cut them off by saying: "I do not know anything about the incident other than Warner was fined by the ICC."
I do not read newspapers, so I do not have any information on what happened on the field," was his curt reply. As a result, the Australian media was left shaking their heads in disbelief on not getting an Indian version on the incident, which has been widely reported by the media here.
Such boorish behavior stems from the fact that the BCCI does not have to make special efforts to keep the game popular among the masses in India. On the other hand, cricket in Australia, is only third or fourth on the popularity chart. On the top is rugby and the National Rugby League here is as popular as the IPL back home. Second in the list is soccer, what we call football in India.
Thereafter tennis and cricket vie for the third spot. Here, Cricket Australia officials have to make special efforts to draw fans to cricket. When India played their opening tri-series match at MCG on January 18, there were more people at the Australia Open tennis at the Hisense Centre for the qualifiers. Cricket at MCG faces challenge from tennis, rugby and soccer as they have stadiums within a radius of one km in Yarra Park sports complex.
In national newspapers like the Age and Sydney Morning Herald, cricket news appears only on the third or fourth sports page. Besides, the sportsmen are not a pampered lot like cricketers are in India. Australian public follows the game with passion, not so much run after the sporting stars. Big names could be sitting next to you in a restaurant or shopping mall without anybody giving them even a second glance.
As long as cricket in India remains the unchallenged numero uno sport, the BCCI will continue to treat the media with disdain as they realize the fans will continue to follow cricket and the cricketers even without a push from the media.

Smith: I'll never forget this summer

Steven Smith scored his third ODI century to guide Australia home. 

Australia captain Steven Smith credited his bowlers for restricting England in the death overs that limited their total to 303 for eight after being asked to bat in Hobart on Friday in the fourth ODI of the tri-series that also involves India.
Thanks to Ian Bell and Joe Root, England looked all set for a late flourish in the final 10 overs of their innings. However, in the 42nd over, Gurinder Sandhu returned to ensnare Bell for 141 and then got rid of captain Eoin Morgan off the fourth delivery to peg them back. From thereon, the hosts kept picking regular wickets including three off three in the final over.
"A lot of credit has to go to our bowlers for how they bowled in the last 20 overs to keep them down to 300. They are very good at how they bowl at the end and have clear plans, hopefully they can keep that up in the World Cup," said Smith. "300 was probably a good score for us to chase in the end."
Smith became the first batsman to score a century in both Test and ODI captaincy debut and his third century overall in the format helped Australia chase down 304 with a delivery to spare. Smith, who scored an unbeaten 102, is enjoying a terrific run of form since the four-Test series against India and said he will never forget this phase of his international career. "It's nice to get a few runs again tonight and get the boys over the line," he said. "I'll never forget this summer. I've really enjoyed it, I've just got to try and keep going and score runs while I'm going well."
Australia reached the final of the tri-series undefeated and it was also in part thanks to Brad Haddin who gave Smith ample support after joining him in the middle at a tricky situation with the scorecard reading 216/5. Haddin scored 42 in an 81-run stand for the sixth wicket before departing in the 48th over. "I thought Haddin really took the pressure off me in the end today...outstanding. We let it go a little bit later than we would have liked to but Starc came in at the end and put away the first ball," said Smith of Haddin's knock.
England captain Eoin Morgan said Australia's bowling at the death overs proved to be the difference between the two sides. "Credit to Australia for how they bowled at the death. Having watched most of it and faced one ball of it, today was their day. It was extremely difficult to set up to and the variations were pretty good. I think 300 was about par. If they hadn't bowled that well at the death we would have got 340-350, a match-winning score," he said. "[It] wasn't a bad day in general. We played good cricket in stages. Ian Bell was magnificent but the last 10 overs let us down a little bit," he said.