The Hindu : Sport : India’s ODI side on the right track

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India’s ODI side on the right track

It is unwise to be thinking about the 2011 World Cup, writes Peter Roebuck

— Photo: PTI

BACK IN ACTION: S. Sreesanth, who was out of the squad for some time with an injury, has recovered most of his pace.

India is on the right track with its ODI side. Although preparations for the triangular in Australia were disrupted by posturing and poor preparation, the party itself has been well chosen and is strong enough to hold its own in a competitive field. India might not win the trophy but will not be crushed.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and company made a favourable impression in Brisbane. It was impossible to predict what would have been the outcomes of the two abandoned matches. Arguably the Indians were slight outsiders in both contests but others may disagree. After all Dhoni’s team fights to the last. But the opposition was strong. Anyhow it was an encouraging start.

A lot can change

Much has been made of the need to build a team for the 2011 World Cup. That is foolish. It is unwise to be thinking about an event so far away. An awful lot can change in a week, with injuries, losses of form, new faces, ten-over cricket starting and so forth. Goodness knows how much might alter in three years!

Also it is foolish to place so much emphasis on a single tournament. The All Blacks tend to think only about the Rugby World Cup and as a result usually freeze when the time comes. Instead India must set out to win as many matches as possible. Winning is a habit and helps to instil confidence and spirit.

Absorb the lessons

Dhoni and his think-tank must also avoid the temptation to use inexperience as an excuse every time a match is lost. Responses of that sort display a lack of faith. Rather they should absorb the lessons and promote improvement. Players must become familiar with their roles.

Chopping and changing must be avoided. That is why it was time to replace Sourav Ganguly. Otherwise the next twelve months might be dominated by debates about his position. Although still a fine cricketer, he is sluggish between the wickets and a dodgy fieldsman, important weaknesses in a team founded upon sharp work in these areas.

India has not chosen a team for the future. Instead it selected the outfit most likely to win this tournament. The basics of ODI cricket have been restored. This much was evident from the batting at the Gabba.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were constantly looking for singles and their understanding will improve.

Sehwag is a swift runner with a sleepy brain. Tendulkar needs an alert partner.

A team must have a theme and even the senior players must abide by it. It is no use putting three fast runners with three slow coaches.

Promising

The rest of the batting looked promising. Gautam Gambhir batted skilfully against Sri Lanka, pacing his innings superbly, striking a balance between caution and daring.

Although Rohit Sharma was unlucky, he has emerged as a polished batman.

Yuvraj Singh has been enduring a bad trot but he can take an attack apart and fields and bowls enthusiastically.

Dhoni himself displayed admirable temperament. On this evidence India has chosen the right batting list.

Not much can be said about the bowling since it has been sheltering under an umbrella.

But Ishant Sharma has been menacing, S. Sreesanth has recovered most of his pace and Irfan Pathan has been handy.

Add R.P. Singh and Zaheer Khan and the attack has strength in depth. Not that India ought to waste much time on crocks.

India must forget about 2011 and set about playing positive cricket today.

The team looks the part.

Now it is a matter of building and retaining that elusive edge that makes or breaks every side.

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