ECB

For the past couple of years now, every limited overs series which Team India has participated in, it has enabled itself to find the best combination possible going into the Cricket World Cup 2019. We are already a couple of months into 2019 and I am sure that barring a couple of spots, Team India has got all the bases covered. Touted as one of the favorites, if not the favorites, this time, to lift the trophy, I present to you my squad for Team India for the World Cup.

1) Rohit Sharma

The Hitman has been India’s mainstay at the top of the order since past few years and has been a match winner in the true sense in white-ball cricket. He grafts his innings wonderfully well and his ability to mix caution with aggression makes him a dangerous customer.

2) Shikhar Dhawan

Gabbar completes the other half of the most prolific opening pair of our times. They complement each other exceptionally well and for some inexplicable reason, Dhawan almost always performs in multi-nation big-ticket events which should settle a few nerves because even if he has not looked his best leading up to the tournament, we can rest assured that he will catch up.

3) Virat Kohli

Unarguably the best batsman in the world right now (across formats), Kohli is the fulcrum of the Indian batting line up. He has matured as a player and even more so as a person ever since taking over as the captain of the national team.

4) MS Dhoni

This could well turn out to be Thala’s last outing representing the nation. For me, its best suited for him as well as the team that he bats at number four and hence, in the team that I propose, he slots in right after Kohli. He may not be the finisher that he once was and might take a little longer to get going as well, but simply his presence in the team would do a world of good to Kohli and the bowlers, especially the slower ones.

5) Kedar Jadhav

He has proven himself to be an excellent utility player over a period of time and has made the most of opportunities on offer. He is a smart cricketer and his peculiar bowling action has been surprisingly effective which I believe goes a long way in furthering his case as far as his selection in the playing eleven is concerned.

6) Rishabh Pant

Yes, next up, ‘We’ve got Pant, Riiishaabhh Pant!’ He can make this side purely as a batsman and could well be a game changer at number 6. He can hit the ball long and far, apart from serving as a backup wicketkeeper. He is an exciting prospect and I am looking forward to seeing more of him in the upcoming games.

7) Hardik Pandya

Off late, he has been talked about a lot, largely for non-cricketing reasons but that is for another blog and would require a completely different vantage point. I do see him featuring in the World Cup squad hopefully having learned that talent and ability are not the ONLY boxes which need to be ticked. Having him the squad makes Kohli’s life much easier as it allows him to play the spin twins together. He is a ‘work-in-progress-fast-bowling-allrounder’. He is already showing signs of improvement and he is a much better player than what the numbers might suggest.

8) Bhuvneshwar Kumar

His strength has been his immaculate control over the new ball and old. He looks fitter than ever now and here’s hoping that injury concerns stay away from him at least till after the World Cup ends.

9) Kuldeep Yadav

The left-arm chinaman has carved a niche for himself in his short career already. He is Kohli’s go-to bowler every time he needs a breakthrough and he delivers! Batsmen just don’t seem to pick his deliveries at all. One of the best attributes of his bowling, I feel, is that he gets rid of the tail quickly. Sometimes when the tail sticks around for a bit, it can be agonizingly painful, but not when Kuldeep is around!

10) Yuzvendra Chahal

Wrist spinners, we know, are the hottest commodities going around these days. Having two of them means double the trouble for the opposition batsmen. Chahal can go for some runs but is he will always give you wickets. The two spin-twins bowl well together and control the middle overs very well with constant inputs coming from behind the stumps.

11) Jasprit Bumrah

Currently, he is worth his weight in gold. Like Kohli, he too has been exceptional across formats. He is an automatic selection into the playing eleven like a few others above.

12) Ambati Rayudu

He has done just enough to claim a spot for himself in the squad. I personally would see him as a backup to Kedar, replacing him if and when he does get injured. There are certain sections who do see him as a potential number four, but sadly he misses out being the first choice in my team.

13) Ravindra Jadeja

I have all the time in the world for Jaddu. He is the best fielder we have and can almost manufacture a wicket with his fielding alone. You can actually play three spinners as well if we get a surface that is dry and one that does grip a bit. He makes for excellent value addition in the team and would be interesting to see how Kohli uses him if he is in the squad that is.

14) Mohammed Shami

Lala can, in fact, make the first eleven as well going by his performances in the recently concluded limited overs series Down Under. He is fast, he is accurate and he is right on the money from the word go. Shami and Bumrah would make a lethal comb with the new ball and in the death overs as well.

15) Prithvi Shaw

He is my reserve opener for the tournament. From the little that we did see of him in whites, he seems ready enough to debut in colored clothing for the senior team, provided that he has recovered from the injury completely, which I am hoping he does in time to be available for selection.

Right then, this is my squad for the Cricket World Cup 2019.

This is the privilege we, as fans, enjoy. We can pick and choose our favorites, not necessarily the most deserving ones while building our squads.

Here’s wishing that everyone who boards the flight to England does his best and makes the nation proud.

Right, so another overseas assignment has been done away with. And, much to our disappointment, the series scorecard is a pale reflection of everything that transpired during this English summer. Not that the Indian team played bad cricket and lost, it was competitive all the way; it was just that we could not capitalize on occasions which, in hindsight now, were match-defining moments.

In a way, this is a rather tricky piece for me to put together because unlike other away tours, we actually did pretty well. In most of the games, in the test series especially, barring the one at the Lords, India always looked to be in it with a chance. The beauty of Test match cricket was for all to see. There were runs for the batsmen and wickets for the bowlers. The Duke ball did what it does best, trouble the batsmen, ask questions of him, his technique, and reward the bowler for his consistency and immaculate line and length.

India, however, would return with an unsettled top order. The top order has struggled right throughout the series and except for a couple of occasions, they allowed the English bowlers to draw first blood pretty early into the innings. Vijay and Dhawan, I believe, have slim chances of playing in whites again. Rahul showed glimpses of what he is capable of as a player, and in the last match, played an innings that reaffirmed the faith shown in him by the team management. But consistency is the key when you bat at the top of the order and there is ample scope of improvement there. Pujara looked short on confidence, to begin with, but showed great maturity and character as the series progressed. Kohli, yet again, was the standout performer for India. He has made a habit out of it and here’s hoping he continues to do so. He amassed close to 600 runs as he shunned away all the ghosts of the ‘Christmas Past’.

The biggest takeaway from the 4-1 series loss is the heart with which India’s fast bowlers bowled. They ran in hard and bowled fast. Ishant, Bumrah, and Shami either kept us in the game or changed the course of the game, in our favor. The Indian quicks clocked better (read: higher) speeds than their English counterparts; a rare occurrence. Ishant looked dangerous after long and his stint there in county cricket has surely helped. English conditions rendered Ashwin ineffective for most parts of the tour. He could not contribute much with both, bat as well as the ball, and this could well open up a slot for another spinner in the side. With all due respect, Ash just wasn’t able to make the most of the conditions on offer. Moeen Ali has more wickets in the series, and he has played half the number of matches that Ashwin has. This should set the alarms off for him (Ashwin)!

This test series, like the one versus South Africa earlier this year, was high on promise, low on returns.

Statisticians would say, numbers don’t lie, but the final scoreline of 4-1, does (very) little justice to the level of competitiveness which this series was played in. Although there is a lot to ponder upon for Team India, this does not, at all, call for sweeping changes in the side. There is undeniable quality in our squad. If only they can match it with a right frame of mind and temperament required to succeed at the highest level. Here’s to better times ahead.

BLEED BLUE

My World Cup Squad!

India end English tour with a bagful of ‘If Only’s’