2015 World Cup preparations: an unenviable selection quandary

Al Pacino in ‘Peace with inches’, rightly remarked, “the inches we need are everywhere”. Cricket is a game of strategy and also adrenaline. The inches, start not on the boundary ropes but years prior to the unveiling of that big trophy.

Capitan and Coach have a lot of thinking to do.

We are at the beginning of 2013, midway between a World Cup fairy tale and a possible embarrassment. No, I am not pressing the panic button just as yet, but as an Indian cricket zealot, I have enough reasons to worry. In 2 years time, India will be defending its World Cup at a place that cannot be farther away from its comfort zone, ‘Down Under’.

‘Down’ and ‘Under’ could be two words they would love to avoid, considering the recent nightmare they went through, orchestrated by a certain Michael Clarke and his ruthless gang of cricket professionals. The odds for India taking the cup are stacked against them, but that doesn’t matter. I would believe a semi-final berth is a realistic expectation, considering India’s decent showing in the shorter formats of the game in recent years.

However, the selectors seem to be missing a few tricks already. Led by the flamboyant Sandeep Patil, the team of selectors including Vikram Rathore, Saba Karim, Rajinder Hans and Roger Binny have an important task.

There are a few spots that need definite reconsideration. In an ideal case, you would want to take a team of 15, where at least 14 have been in the squad for over a year, allowing 1 berth for an exigency. Swing in New Zealand, and pace and bounce in Australia, can be expected in full measure which is why every spot needs a genuine owner.

Gautam Gambhir hasn’t exactly set the stage on fire in recent times. India would need a more solid opener than him if they are to mimic the WC 2011 success, where Sachin and Sehwag gave them blazing starts in most matches.

How long will the selectors wait before trying Pujara out? Dravid, in the early stage of his career, met with the same unfathomable indifference. 10,000 ODI runs, quite a few dismissals behind the wicket, and a runners-up medal at WC 2003 proved more handsomely that technically sound batsmen are not necessarily disposable in the shorter formats of the game. Mind you, Pujara has an average nearing 57 in List A cricket. Besides, Gambhir isn’t amongst the swiftest fielders in the team, and doesn’t have Raina or Yuvraj’s advantage with the ball. Raina makes a genuine case for himself over Gambhir due to his temperament, even though he is most likely to get bombarded in ODIs down under.

Ever since Kapil Dev hung his boots, India has found it hard to unearth a genuine fast bowling all-rounder. In 2015, this might come back to bite them. Almost every other country in the top tier boasts of at least one quality fast bowling all-rounder. The Indian selectors need to ask themselves if they see Ashwin proving effective on the seamer-friendly tracks in NZ and Australia. He is a bowling all-rounder in my opinion, while Jadeja is a prospective batting all-rounder.

However, India cannot afford to have both in the team when they play Down Under. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has a first class century and averages a decent 30. Comparatively, Ashwin averages 38 and Jadeja almost 53. But then, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, if he continues his present trailblazing form, is almost a certain starter. If Irfan Pathan is fit, I would definitely have Irfan, Ashwin and Kumar at 7, 8 and 9. In such a scenario, Jadeja’s spot could be used to test another batsman, or even a high-performing Ranji all-rounder, even if the experiment comes with its own string of losses.

Rishi Dhawan has made a good case for himself, with a career first-class batting average of 42. He bowls medium pace, and has an impressive average of 25. When it comes to tackling pace and bounce, Jadeja doesn’t inspire much hope, and one can only pray that Irfan comes back to cement his place.

Shami Ahmed has impressed one and all with his swing. Down Under, he could swing the ball both ways. One doesn’t have to be an expert to believe Shami Ahmed could be one of the future bowling stars of the country, if he continues the good work and the delightful seam position when he delivers the ball. With Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, they could be lethal in seamer-friendly conditions. However, both bowlers need to be persisted with on a longer basis.

Ishant Sharma could be a handful on bouncy wickets, but with minimal variety and marked inconsistency, he is fast losing out on many counts to bowlers like Dinda. Yadav’s impressive shadow isn’t looming too far away either. We are looking at three fast bowlers in the starting line-up, along with a fast bowling all-rounder, which means once Yadav comes back, Ishant might be pushed down in the pecking order.

Unless Dhoni takes a call himself, it would be he leading the team in all likelihood. In the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, India had to manufacture an all-rounder by letting Dravid don the gloves. In terms of conditions, Australia wouldn’t be too different. 6 batsmen and a batting all-rounder who can bowl medium pace would be the ideal combination. Playing 7 batsmen is fraught with risk.

File Photo of Selector Sandeep Patel; what next for him?

Nevertheless, it is an option that the captain should be comfortable with. It shouldn’t be a last-ditch effort ahead of an important match. India may need a reserve wicket-keeper as well. C M Gautam has made a genuine case for himself this Ranji season. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try him out in the upcoming tour to New Zealand. A certain degree of lethargy has been witnessed when it comes to making drastic changes in the team, barring Sehwag’s exit.

If this isn’t the time to cross the line between complacency and contingency planning, I wonder what is. Are the selectors gifted with foresight and the willingness to expect and prepare for hiccups, is the million dollar question.