India's World Cup squad - Who'll catch the flight to Australia and New Zealand?

Rohit Sharma is set to open the batting with Shikhar Dhawan

NOTE: The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and not of the website as a whole.

It’s around a month to go before the Indian selection committee sits to select a preliminary squad of 30 for the ICC Cricket World Cup to be played down under. By that time, all domestic one-day tournaments like the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy would have been over and the aspirants would be hoping to get a ticket to Australia.

While 30 is a number required by the ICC, but barring a couple of spots, India’s squad of fifteen is more or less certain. Wearing the selector’s hat, I have tried to construct a squad of 15 as objectively as it can be, adding whom I feel will be a part of MS Dhoni’s army and attempt to defend their ODI World Cup crown come February-March in Australia and New Zealand.

Starting at the top, it will be Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. While Dhawan has shown some consistency in recent ODIs in familiar conditions, Sharma sealed the deal with a record-breaking 264 against the Lankans at Eden Gardens. However, what will hold them and the Indian team in good stead is some solidity at the top in conditions away from home.

The batting department

For Sharma to be that “X-Factor” for India, which Virat Kohli predicted, he will have to come out of a syndrome where he shows one spark of brilliance in every 10 innings. Kohli’s selection is a no-brainer and he would be the fulcrum around which Indian batting would revolve. What remains to be seen is where the team management slots him, at No.3 or 4.

Ambati Rayudu didn’t do his chances any harm with decent performances in the ODI series against Sri Lanka and with his ability to play horizontal bat shots, he should take one middle-order spot. Robin Uthappa’s failure to cash in on the limited opportunities he got coupled with the fact that India won’t carry a passenger in the form of an extra wicket-keeper, makes Rayudu’s case even stronger since he can chip in as a wicket-keeper should an exigency arise.

Suresh Raina would lend solidity and experience in the middle-order along with his skipper MS Dhoni, who is perhaps the best finisher the game has ever seen. Ajinkya Rahane would grab the extra batsman’s spot and he can be used either as an opener or in the middle-order depending on the final make-up of the eleven.

The bowling department

Spin bowling department is an area of concern for India when it comes to conditions down under. Their first choice spinners, R Ashwin (8 wickets in 12 matches in Australia and New Zealand) and Ravindra Jadeja (7 wickets in 13 matches in Australia/New Zealand) don’t inspire much confidence. However, Ashwin should be in the squad for his experience and variations.

Akshar Patel doing as well as he has done, albeit in India, should be a strong contender ahead of Jadeja for a spot in the final XI (this would raise a few eyebrows though). Akshar bowls classical left arm orthodox from a height and his style of bowling should be more suited to bouncy Australian pitches.

Huge playing fields in Australia would mean there is a room for a wrist spinner (remember Mushtaq Ahmed in 1992 World Cup?). Kuldeep Yadav is too raw and Karn Sharma has failed to impress in the opportunities that he got which leaves Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla in the reckoning. But with none of them having done anything noteworthy lately, I would be tempted to take a second left-arm spinner in Jadeja (remember India had two off-spinners in 2011 World Cup squad).

The pace bowling department has a lot of variety in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma. For the fifth seamer’s slot there are three contenders - Varun Aaron, Pankaj Singh and Stuart Binny. In my view, Binny’s ability to bat tilts the scale in his favour. More importantly, from off the five seamers selected in my squad, four will be a part of the Test series in Australia followed by a tri-series and one hopes that all these four remain fit and fresh at the end of a long southern summer for the all-important World Cup.

Final squad: MS Dhoni (c), Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma.