CricDigs Blogs

The one-day series between India and England begins soon and there is a lot of noise about how India should win this series and move up in the world rankings. They seem to have all the advantage it terms of home conditions and the confidence gained from beating the Aussies. However, winning the series shouldn’t be the sole aim of the Indian team. Now, that they claim to be the next world champions, it is important to develop a world champion-like mindset. The thinking has to be about using their bench in the most profitable way and making sure that the margin of victory is at its biggest. At the minimum, Indian shouldn’t let England win more than two matches, i.e. they should aim for a 5-2 result at the end of the series. India have a few issues to sort out themselves, although from the outside it appears that every selection is falling in place automatically — this is not the case.

It would be rather stupid to expect Zaheer to carry the workload of the bowling after such a straining test series against the world champions. Ishant too would most probably end up playing in just a few games. This means that Kirsten and the team management have to work on developing the second-string of attack. Agreed, India ahs the bowling bench strength but is it prepared to take on the responsibility. How much time do the likes of RP Singh and Munaf need before they realise their role and starting handling the new ball wisely? What is the exact profile of Irfan Pathan? He is no longer the next Akram-in-the-making and he can’t take wickets to save his life!! An all-rounder? No, Sir, that he is not. These are questions that have to be sorted out. Why wasn’t Praveen Kumar trusted after some consistent performances? Is he good only on seaming pitches? These are the kind of things that need thinking by Dhoni and the new vice-captain — Sehewag.

The squad has included Murali Vijay instead of Badrinath. This is a bit confusing. Wouldn’t it make sense to prepare the next number three batsman for India in the form of Badrinath instead of choosing another opener? However, when trying to figure out these queries, the main purpose shouldn’t be forgotten — making sure that the Pieterson’s men are kept at bay. India needs to figure out who would be Bhajji’s bowling partner. Mishra does look like a good prospect, but his fielding could be a deterrent. Now is the chance for Dhoni to prepare players for specific roles in the team, since he has the rub of the green on his side. Figuring out some matters in this series would go a long way in making the team better prepared and provide it with a more honest picture about team members who can and others who just promise to deliver.