POTENT BUNCH: The performance of the young Indian pace bowlers has been impressive of late. They need to continue their good work for the host to make a winning start to the series. — Photo: AP

NEW DELHI: As the journey to identify the World Cup party commences at the bowler-friendly Ferozeshah Kotla here on Tuesday, India and England line up to make the most of the opportunities in the forthcoming seven-match TVS Cup one-day series.

The venues are far flung, Kochi and Goa still being welcome, and the warm and humid conditions will test the physical endurance of the players. The wisdom of playing in such exacting conditions is the prerogative of the cricket administrators, but there can be no doubt that excitement and intensity will be high during these combats. So would the expectations from teams that back themselves in this brand of the game.

The World Cup is more than a year away but all the talk centres around the World Cup, including the contract for coach Greg Chappell and the tenure of the skipper, Rahul Dravid. Both are firmly saddled with the responsibility until the World Cup in the West Indies even though there is no assurance on who would ultimately survive the race.

Newest mantra

Seven matches in 19 days is a virtual feast for the cricket fans, but a nightmare for the players. Remaining fit will be paramount and consistency will be the most significant factor, even as flexibility is the newest mantra of the Indian team management.

Youngsters have been presented opportunities on a platter in an effort to forge a formidable squad for the World Cup, but what about the immediate challenges?

There was a time when England resisted the onslaught of limited-overs cricket. Under pressure to protect the tradition of the game, the team lost direction before recovering to accept the harsh reality of modern-day cricket. It had to keep pace with the changes and the rising popularity of the shorter version of the game. When planning the one-day series, more attention was paid to the scheduling rather than the number of fixtures.

Serious insecurity

India seems to have excelled in one-day cricket in the current season and the 4-1 victory in Pakistan is regarded as the benchmark. The experiments, however, have not stopped. The emphasis on the so-called `multi-faceted talent' has only led to some serious insecurity among the players down the ranks.

Take the example of V.V.S. Laxman. He was asked to be ready to open the innings in one-day matches but did not even get to play the Tests. Sourav Ganguly was not so lucky. He lost the race to Gautam Gambhir even when Sachin Tendulkar was not available and a cloud of suspense hung over Virender Sehwag's recovery from a back spasm.

There are no comeback avenues for these two stalwarts and proven match-winners.

The character of the Indian team has undergone a sea change in recent times. It wears a young look, with the likes of R.P. Singh making merry in the absence of a performer like L. Balaji. It is another matter that Balaji, still nursing an injury, has not been given any assurance by the team management on his future in Indian cricket.

The long session for Harbhajan Singh at the nets was ample reflection of the tactics the team management has in mind. There's no doubt that the search for his replacement has intensified.

Ramesh Powar needs a decent run, following his outstanding showing every time he has been asked to prove himself.

Time for transparency

For long, Sunil Gavaskar has talked of some players being part of a privileged club in the Indian camp. Now is the time for the team management to show transparency in selection matters. It is also time the team analyses its true strengths even though it has a captain who has shown the courage to own up his mistakes.

England has not done well in the limited-overs version against any of the top teams, not even at home. But then, this side has shown the potential to grow under the influential leadership of Andrew Flintoff. In the company of Kevin Pietersen, the English skipper offers entertainment of the kind that attracts spectators to the venues, even if some of them may resemble a cauldron in the month of April.

The teams (from):

India: Rahul Dravid (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, M.S. Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Venugopala Rao, Ramesh Powar, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, S. Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and R.P. Singh.

England: Andrew Flintoff (capt.), Kabir Ali, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Ian Bell, Ian Blackwell, Paul Collingwood, Matthew Hoggard, Geraint Jones, Sajid Mahmood, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Vikram Solanki and Andrew Strauss.

Umpires: Asad Rauf and A.V. Jayaprakash; Third umpire: K. Hariharan; Fourth umpire: A. Saheba. Match Referee: Roshan Mahanama.

Hours of play: 9 a.m. to 12.40 p.m.; 1.25 p.m. onwards.

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