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Indian cricket team will be defending its World cup title in two years’ time. While it all looks rosy with what appears to be a settled unit now, after winning the two multinational tournaments in a row, I still believe there are three missing pieces to the puzzle that Indian team is yet to search for.
It starts with the captain. The aspect on question here is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s batting position. Dhoni is certainly among the top batsmen in ODIs at present, along with Hashim Amla, AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli. To rate where he stands among the best, as a batsman, is a futile task and one that I am unwilling to do.
But as a complete package? (By which I mean as an all-round cricketer) Well, without any doubt, he’s the number 1, courtesy his added workloads of wicket-keeping and captaincy. Of course, ABD has recently started doing the same but till he accomplishes the results that Dhoni has achieved as a captain, without giving up on wicket-keeping, Dhoni will continue to lead the list.
While we have such a great asset in our hands, are we under-utilizing him? Or let me re-phrase it, is Dhoni under-utilizing himself? I believe, in any format of the game, your best batsmen need to be in the top 4. Where do we have ours? At number 6.
You may argue that even with him batting too low down the order, India has won many tournaments. But the case is not so simple. In how many matches has Dhoni been left alone, battling for a lost cause or in a position to take undue risks just because if he doesn’t, opposition would run away with the match? Had he not been forced to change his game style in such situations, could we have won so many matches?
Why does he need to put himself in such onerous situations, if he can obviate them by controlling the innings, coming in early at the crease?
Please don’t give me this ‘he knows what to do’ lecture by citing reasons like India has won multinational tournaments (World Cup, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup) even with him coming low down the order. Look at the conditions on offer.
Both the World Cup and Asia Cup were won in sub-continental conditions while the pitches in Champions Trophy surprisingly turned out to be like the sub-continental ones, lacking much swing and bounce. Not to forget the assistance that it offered to the spin bowlers.
If the next World Cup was scheduled in the Indian sub-continent, I would not bother writing this piece. On sub-continental pitches, Suresh Raina and Manoj Tiwary/ Dinesh Karthik/ Yuvraj Singh/ Rohit Sharma at their best, could still have the same impact that Dhoni is capable of at no.4 and 5. Even if they fail, Dhoni would not be left with too much to catch up with and we could pull back with our spinners.
But the World Cup is scheduled in Australia. Now it becomes even more important to send your best batsmen in top 4.
However, there comes a situation where the lowest he could bat down the order can be at no.5. It depends on who your no.4 is. The men who are lined up for the spot after Yuvraj Singh are – Manoj Tiwary, Ambati Rayudu, Cheteshwar Pujara and Dinesh Karthik.
Rayudu and Tiwary are two very similar type of players who have only one gear to their game – at best they could deliver a run-a-ball innings in ODIs with an ability to increase that strike rate by hitting big when the spinners are on the attack.
While Dinesh Karthik has been too inconsistent to count upon, Cheteshwar Pujara can’t yet be considered a no.5, based on his lack of exposure in this format till now. I believe, for any batsman to be successful at no.5/6, he needs to have the ability to hit fast bowlers out of the park. So, a little flexibility is needed since India do not have any options who could do justice to what is expected of a no.5 batsman.
Not to be mistaken, all of Tiwary, Rayudu and Pujara could be very good at no.4 considering the typical expectations of a number 4 is to lend stability to the batting order and anchor an innings. There is a very fine line between a number 4 and number 5 in one day internationals.
So, for the requirements of the team, Dhoni can afford to bat at no.5 and let those players audition for the number 4 spot. While Dhoni has a very good record coming in at no.6, my argument is that he can better his performances coming in earlier, also benefitting the team more with this move.
Statistics also back the claim.
Dhoni’s stats at positions 4,5 and 6:
Dhoni while India bats second:
The next aspect I am worried about is the absence of Pujara in India’s plans with only two years to go for the event that matters the most.
What are your expectations of an opener in Australian conditions against two new balls used by mostly world class attacks? The ability to negotiate the swing, handle bounce and have the scoring shots (drives, cuts, hooks, pulls and flicks) to make use of power play restrictions and if possible, a good cricketing sense and a sane mindset to not crumble at the first sight of pressure, is paramount for the opener.
What is your answer to all these? (At least mine is) – Cheteshwar Pujara. Where is he in the Indian set up?
Cheteshwar Pujara
With only two more years to go, he is being given a chance finally as a majority of the first team players in World Cup 2011 are either dropped or rested. But against a team like Zimbabwe, whatever amount of he scores may not even be enough to push the other contenders out.
While he usually bats at no.3/4 and has done pretty well in domestic limited overs cricket, I believe he could do better as an opener. Though Rohit has been doing okay off late, we cannot forget the fact that his strike rate is below par, and he has not converted those fifties to hundreds.
If you are going to eat up that many deliveries then better score big. Rohit as an opener is acceptable if we don’t have any other options. But we can afford better players. Why do we need to settle for a Mercedes Benz, when we can afford a Ferrari? Am I being too kind here on Rohit here by comparing him to Benz? I will let you decide.
Rohit in 2013:
Expecting Pujara to open, with Rohit and Dhawan having cemented their spot as openers, is a long shot.
I am not ruling out the possibility of Rohit doing a ‘no-hit’ again, but even if he does, knowing Indian management and Dhoni’s way of thinking, India would go in search for another opener rather than trying Pujara. So I hope he at the least, he gets into the playing XI by the time World Cup begins.
Pujara in List-A matches:
The final missing piece of the puzzle is Praveen Kumar. A first class swing bowler who has shown that he is capable of dismissing quality batsmen in supportive conditions is not even picked in a second choice bowling line-up set to play against a much weaker team (Zimbabwe).
I do not agree with the point of view that since Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a similar type of bowler, PK will not be missed. Can anyone guarantee that Bhuvi can get us breakthroughs game in game out?
Besides missing out on his good days, a bowler can have off days too. To whom does the captain turn to at that point of time? Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Shami Ahmed are the options Dhoni will have. None of them are proven bowlers yet, to be trusted upon to lead the attack.
Surely, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin cannot be expected to get the breakthroughs on less supportive pitches once the batsmen get settled. They could only do the supporting role if pacers make inroads earlier in the game, and it is also unfair to expect anything more from them.
Rather think of it this way. Assuming that the pitch aids swing, which it will most probably, instead of testing opposition with one probing spell from Bhuvi, say for 6 overs, why should we not double the dose by adding PK’s quota of 6 overs too? More good deliveries, more chances of getting the batsmen out.
Praveen Kumar
Statistics of Praveen, Ishant and Ashwin in Australia:
Instead of going out on hope that Bhuvi will take care of the early breakthroughs, why can’t we go in with certainty or say an increased possibility of getting wickets?
These are the 3 main flaws that need to be rectified for India to win the World Cup 2015. The playing eleven should look like (based on current form): Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary/ Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin/Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Umesh Yadav,(Rohit Sharma).
If Tiwary and Rayudu fail to make use of their chances at number 4, Rohit Sharma can get a look in at no.5, pushing Dhoni to no.4 as Rohit can take on fast bowlers better than Tiwary and Rayudu, thereby enabling Dhoni to bat at no.4.
With respect to the bowling options, since Umesh Yadav is the only half decent bowler we have at death, he needs to be persisted with despite his inconsistency up front. Varun Aaron is another option for India at death but being extremely injury prone, he can wait. With the quality that Jadeja provides in the spin department these days, I would not play Ashwin if the pitch doesn’t offer anything to the spinners.
A good plan is a plan with flexibility – something that Dhoni needs to add to his repertoire. So the choice between Ashwin and Ishant depends on the pitch. Ishant is not a liability if Dhoni uses him wisely i.e., not giving him the ball at death. His stats indicate that he has done well in one day internationals after his comeback to the team in 2011.
Ishant in 2013:
I understand that even after doing all these, death bowling will still be an issue. But instead of worrying about something we cannot rectify, let’s do our best to put forward the best step we possibly can. If we lose even then, we could come back with heads held high, having given the best shot we possibly could.
As of now, I do not see India winning the crown. There needs to be a change in the team’s approach to defend the World Cup.
