What India had in 2011 World Cup which it doesn't have now

From an Indian point of view, yesterday’s match between India and Australia was just shocking. Not only that India lost that match, they were literally slaughtered by the Australian openers, Watson and Warner. This made us think, does this team really have it to win the World Cup? Well, whether it will cross the super 8’s stage or not, can be said only after the match against Pakistan tomorrow. But comparing this team with the 2011 World Cup team, what I feel is that the current team does not have enough positive factors, as compared to the 2011 World Cup.

1. The absence of solid batsman like Sachin: One may say that I am absurd in saying that India is missing Sachin in T20 World Cup. But the thing is, India is missing a player who could bring strength and confidence to the batting order like him. In 2011 World Cup, Sachin and Yuvraj were the backbone of Indian batting. Even if the other batsmen had failed, either of them managed to produce a solid performance, thus helping India to put up a respectable score. Alas, here, except for Virat Kohli, no one has been in a reasonable form.

2. Lack of Preparation, Form and Fitness: As mentioned in the earlier point, no other batsman barring Kohli is in good form. India’s dashing opener Sehwag is not only out of form, but has also been missing games thanks to some injury he suffered during batting sessions. Other batsmen have clearly been susceptible to short bowling. And Yuvraj has just returned from his long cancer battle, it is just unreasonable to expect him to perform like he did in 2007 T20 World Cup. But In 2011 World Cup, all the batsmen were in form and were able to score runs, even against shorter deliveries. This clearly shows how well our team has been prepared, even after getting a long break after the Sri Lanka series. In short, the Indian team was well prepared in the 2011 World Cup, whereas loopholes in India’s preparation can be found easily now. Also, India’s strike bowler, Zaheer Khan, is clearly out of form and he has been a mere shadow of the Zaheer Khan of 2011 World Cup, wherein he was the highest wicket taker.

3. Misfiring captain: Dhoni has been in a lean patch for quite a time and it’s time for him to buck up and perform well. Though even in 2011 World Cup, his form was bad, but it never seemed to affect his captaincy. But after seeing him fail against the Aussies, it seems like his batting troubles have affected his captaincy too. Yesterday’s selection of 3 spinners, which completely backfired, showed how one sided his thinking was and suggested a lack of any backup plan from him.

4. Absurd team selections: Also the team selection from Dhoni has been pretty below standard. Persisting with Rohit Sharma is a gamble he took, which did not go as expected as he had failed to deliver when the team needed the most. Also, his decision to play 3 spinners, expecting the pitch to play its part, completely backfired and the bowlers just did not even put up a fight.

The team, this time is indeed looking a bit weak, compared to teams like South Africa and Australia, and it would take a tremendous effort from now to reach even the semi-finals. Clearly, this team lacks the combination to win the World Cup. One can only hope now that India performs well in the other two matches.