India’s team for World Cup 2007

The countdown has begun! We are 38 days away from the world cup. Amidst the excitement surrounding the event, most teams are in final stages of getting the 15 on paper for the grand tournament. So, what’s going to be our team like? Our selectors have 2 weeks in their pockets before they get down to naming the team.

India’s 3-1 win over West Indies did answer a few questions. Here is what the skeleton of my team would look like for the world cup:

(2) Ganguly to open with Uthappa
(3) Dravid, Tendulkar, Yuvraj select themselves
(1) Extra batsman or bowler depending on conditions
(1) Dhoni, an automatic choice again
(1) Agarkar: Has been consistent enough to be a certainty
(2) Kumble and Harbhajan, both should play in West Indies
(1) Zaheer Khan, again has well done well enough though would need a back-up

So, we have 9-10 players who would play every match.

Before moving on to the other 5 who should board the flight to Caribbean, quick comments on two senior players of the side. Tendulkar’s century yesterday would do his confidence a world of good, apart from getting his one-day statistics back on track. His average is again back to “above 44”! In the last few weeks, there were a few statements made by so-called cricketing gurus that in my view were totally uncalled for, however this aggressive knock should shut all criticism against Tendulkar. With the form he is getting to, World Cup could get exciting, even for Australia.

A couple of months ago, we would have never imagined Ganguly to feature the above list. But, he has made a terrific come back, would go down as one of the greatest fight backs in the history of cricket. I have been and I am a Ganguly fan. Despite this, in my view, Ganguly was out of the team for all right reasons. There was never a question mark on his talent – it was more to do with his attitude. Now, he is back with a bang, looking a lot more focused with no airs surrounding him about being the ex-captain or the Prince of Kolkata! Let’s hope Ganguly continues to perform, a consistent Ganguly is a must for India’s chances at the World Cup.

Back to the team selection, the contenders for the other 5 slots are:

Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Sreeshant, Dinesh Karthik, Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Gambhir and Ramesh Powar.

I am still not sure if Sehwag should be counted in the scheme of things. Just like Ganguly a year down the time line, with Sehwag it is again not a question of his ability or technique. It is the attitude and focus that is missing. Selectors should probably give him 1 or 2 matches against Sri Lanka and observe his attitude on the field, not the number that appears on the score card eventually. I would much rather see a determined Sehwag scoring a fighting 30-40 than an attempt at a run-a-ball flamboyant 50.

I would include Pathan for the balance that he gets to the team, with Munaf Patel and Sreeshant as back up bowlers if India decides to go in with 3-4 pace bowlers. Karthik would be the 14th in my selection list and for 15th, it would all depend on the question around Sehwag. Otherwise Raina should probably make the cut.

Let’s see how the home series against Sri Lanka turns out to be. The team should now stop experimenting (other than a chance to Sehwag probably) and play consistent cricket. Wishing team India all the very best for the World Cup!