5 experiments that India needs to do before 2015 World Cup

The loss in the opening ODI against West Indies notwithstanding, the Indian cricket team at the moment looks a well settled unit in ODIs. With only four months to go for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, many players already look to be certainties for the event down under next year.Before that tournament, India play 5 ODIs against the West Indies at home and then play a triangular series a month before the World cup involving hosts Australia and England.Considering this, it gives India only a limited chance to experiment for the few remaining spots in the upcoming matches as it would help the selectors and the team-management to come up with a definitive XI for the World Cup campaign.Here are 5 experiments Indian cricket team needs to do before 2015 World Cup:

#1 Opening Partnership

The Opening partnership of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma looked sealed after the duo put on consistent stands at the top. However, the two could not give good starts in South Africa and New Zealand, and to make matters worse, the latter got injured during the second match at Cardiff and was ruled out of the series.

That led to middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane being promoted up the order to open with Dhawan and the Mumbai batsman scored his first one-day ton in Birmingham.

Now the Dhawan-Rahane combination at the top is something that could be a given longer rope. The 26-year-old has got a very good technique to play the moving ball and has opened the batting previously for Mumbai in the Domestic circuit.

He has also had success opening for his IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals. Also, Rohit Sharma has done well for the Mumbai Indians batting in the middle order and it would not be a bad idea to play him at number 4.

Another option at the top to partner Dhawan could be Robin Uthappa, if he makes a comeback to the side again.

#2 Death bowling woes

If there is one issue that needs immediate attention going into the World cup, it would be India’s bowling at the death. Mohammad Shami was impressive in the One-day matches in England while the others did leak a few runs.

However, Dhoni could consider the option of employing his spinners at the death. He did so in the Champions Trophy semi-final and in the final and it would not be the worst idea to give it a shot in one of the upcoming matches.

Also, India needs to unearth someone who can bowl the slower balls and the cutters on the spot on a regular basis. Mohit Sharma is someone who bowls those deliveries brilliantly while playing for his franchise in the IPL, but has been inconsistent.while playing for India.

#3 All-rounder options

This is one area where India needs to have a back-up. At the moment, Ravindra Jadeja seems to be the only one who can give Dhoni ten overs and can contribute with the bat lower down the order.

Unfortunately, there are very limited options that are available in this department. The two names who stand a good chance of being the back-up are Stuart Binny and Irfan Pathan.

The 30-year-old from Karnataka did not feature in any of the one day games in England but has proved to be a handy cricketer for his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals. It remains to be seen how many chances he gets and how he performs in those matches.

Pathan, on the other hand,has not played for the country in 2 years and needs to strike form in the upcoming Ranji season to keep any hopes of sealing that 2nd all-rounder’s spot.

#4 Second wicket-keeper

We sometimes forget that MS Dhoni is HUMAN and hence it is critical that the Indian skipper is given a break somewhere and other options are tried.

Thankfully, unlike the all-rounders, India do have a few more options here.

One of the strong contenders is Bengal keeper Wriddhiman Saha. Considered by many as the best keeper-batsman in the country, even ahead of Dhoni, the 29-year old has looked quite neat with the gloves behind the stumps in the limited games that he has played thus far. He is also a technically sound batsman and has also got the ability to play quick fire innings like the one he played in the IPL final earlier this year.

Another candidate for the slot is 19-year-old Sanju Samson. The rookie from Kerala was selected for the series against England and has got praise from several quarters for his ability to play quick bowling fearlessly. He his also an effective keeper and hence can be a contender for the 2nd keeper’s slot.

The 3rd option is Robin Uthappa. The Kodava-lad had an excellent season with the bat for the Kolkata Knight Riders amassing 660 runs and won the Orange Cap.

However, his keeping has looked anything but impressive and the 29-year-old needs to put in a lot of work to be considered for that role.

#5 New ball attack

The new ball has generally been shared by Bhuvnaeshvar Kumar and Mohammad Shami in ODIs.

It would not be a bad idea to give someone like a Umesh Yadav the new ball. The right arm pacer from Nagpur can consistently bowl at high speeds and has a good out-swinger and can also be used to hurry up the batsman.

Another option is Mohit Sharma. The Haryana pacer did open the bowling for India in the last few games of the World T20 earlier this year and can move the ball both ways and has picked up early wickets for his IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings.