If I were a selector whom would I have choosen to play in world cup. Below are my views. Lets start with the Number 7, which India is searching for and then I will move towards building up the team. I will be straight-forward, instead of floundering.
1. Ravindra Jadeja is a useful spin-bowler, but as a batsman he sucks. I really sometimes like his bowling, but don't consider his batting average of 31 in ODIs good one. Rather consider the situation in which he made them. He scored these runs either when all other batsmen scored briskly or if all the batsmen got out cheaply then very very slowly and by being not-out to increase his average. I remember someone's comment on cricinfo(while reading commentary), Jadeja will be Dhoni's surprise weapon for world-cup, he will make him play all ODIs and then suddenly before world cup will drop him and then other team batsmen will be surprised, whom to score against?
2. Yusuf Pathan is a great bloke with bat, on his day he can guide team on his own, but he is not reliable, rarely he clicks with bat. With ball he is OK. if want some 6-7 overs, he can do the job with average of around 5.5 or 5.75
3. I seriously do not think Irfan Pathan is a serious candidate, because he is nothing because his swing and a little pace. He will act like as a boon for batsmen on sub-continent pitches with his no pace, no swing. Rather I will rate his batting better than his bowling. You seriously can not select Irfan for his bowling, he is a better batsman now, both in longer format and shorter version. In my views, Irfan is totally out of radar.
4. Why are we not seeing the other options, just because they are untried. Believe me Ganpati Vignesh or Rajagopal Satish can perform far better than these. You can see the track records of these in ICL and other domestic matches, they are really match winners. Besides both are medium-pace batting allrounders, as Dhoni prefers his allrounders to be. I seriously think they can be contenders if once they can catch the spot-light, moreover one of the two R. Satish is going to play in Champions League and a lot depend upon his performance and who knows a few crucial knocks, bowling and fielding performances may catch Dhoni's and selector's eyes.
5. My next option may surprise you all but if you will give a thought, you will find me, worth giving a thought. Praveen Kumar. Go 2-3 years back and you will see Praveen consistently opening batting and bowling for India A. He was really an attacking batsman at the top of the order. He was demolishing the opposition bowlers with his batting. He was not a great batsman but was really filling the team's cause by scoring some very fast 40s & 60s at the top of the order. I liked him more for his fireworks at top of the order than his bowling. If Zaheer, Nehra, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma hits form Praveen will be surely pushed out of pace-attack, seriously he was never really talented as above. It was his timing of finding form and he became number one opening bowler on Dhoni's list. I surely miss his batting and knows only way to keep his place in playin eleven he need to find some of his form from India A days. Hey I do not want to repeat the case of Irfan Pathan (that Chappel did to him). I hate one thing of Indian team, I do not understand why after coming in Indian team allrounders beccomes specialist batsman or bowlers and especialists batsman and bowlers try to be allrounders. Ajit Agarkar was an allrounder but soon he was just a bowler. Irfan came as bowler and tried became allrounder. Sehwag was an allrounder when he burst on International scene and was consistently getting 2-3 wickets per match but soon he was just a batsman. Yusuf Pathan was an allrounder but was not used as a bowler. Jadeja came as an allrounder but he is becoming a bowler. And there are so many more cases.
6. Almost everyone has forgotten the boy who hit 3 sixes from Flintoff's one over in IPL, besides he provides medium-pace option too. Sachin himself rates his batting highly, that why he offered him one down in the final stages of third IPL and selected him in playing XI as soon as he recovered from injury. Yes, I am talking about Abhishek Nayar. Dhoni doesn't like him thats why he chose to bowl himself first change rather than offerrin Nayar in an ODI against West-Indies, but one should have known, Dhoni became captain just because Tendulkar proposed his name ahead of Yuvraj, so Dhoni should respect Tendulkar's belief as Sachin has a great sense for finding talents too.
Now coming to Team Selection
Praveen Kumar
Recently concluded Sri-Lanka series suggest, how useful Praveen can be, if it is swinging conditions. He was one of the positives for India. In third IPL, we all saw he was really fired up and bowled really good spells. Yes, he has not got that much pace and otherwise he is just another ordinary bowler. But still he is better than few others after Zaheer and Nehra.
Pragyan Ojha
Best Indian spinner in the side, even better than Bhajji. But since Bhajji is quite more experinced and he can bat well, too, so he will be my second back-up spinner. If something happens to Bhajji(surely, I don't want that), he will take his place.
Virat Kohli
Surely he along with Uthappa will be my back-up in case of any injuries to any of the main batsmen. He has to look upon his head a few times but temperament wise he is good enough and has perfomed on occasions. Besides, he can be tried for his medium-pace options if needed, as he used to bowl in his under-19s days. A good fielder surely.
Robin Uthappa
Since his third IPL form, he surely deserves a place in Indian team for world cup even before the Kohlis and Sharmas. At least, he should be even a go in matches before world cup to try whether he can do it. As we see, he performed very well in both IPLs conducted in India, the first one and the third one. He failed in second IPL that took place in South-Africa and we all know as the world-cup is staged in Indian sub-continent, he surely needs to be given a look-in, plus he can bat at any position right from opener's slot to no. 7.
Ravichandran Ashwin
A good stock bowler, may be every effective on slow sub-continent pitches as he showed in third IPL, I heard he can bat a little too.
Ishant Sharma
Could be in 15 man squad if find forms and India has no other pace options.
R. Vinay Kumar
He is a very impressive bowler when playing domestic cricket but I don't understand what happens to him when playing for India.
Should not be in team, if India want to win this world cup
1. Dinesh Kartik
I personally don't like him, I don't know why but this is. Sorry Kartik If I am harsh on you but you never seemed a good prospect except the 92 you scored at Edens with Dravid to win the memorable match.
2. Rohit Sharma
I really liked him so much but after so many chances he is till there where he started or better say a place worse than where he started. He started in 2007 T-20 world cup and started very strongly and soon he started thinking himself as permanent member of Indian team and that hurted him. Today he has gained wait and his tummy has almost become a permanent fixture in last one year or so. He shoeed some promise when scored two back-to-back centuries, but again he was same as old floundering at every given opportunity, if only Viral Kohli has got so many chances, he could have settled himslef in middle order and currently in a better position than Sharma.
3. Murali Vijay
He can not be selected on just basis of from being Tamil Nadu, from where our chief selector belongs. He does not deserve a place in ODIs, certainly not (although all of them are off-spinners).
4. Piyush Chawla
He has little talent but he never performed as per his talent too.
5. Amit Mishra
Simply he is not good enough for ODIs to find a place in 15, moreover we have already two spinners and a back-up spinner in the squad.
And I think rest of the squad is almost certain
1. Virendra Sehwag
The best in-form Indian batsman and knows exactly what to do, how to bat in whatever conditions. His almost 2 hundreds in bowling-friendly conditions in recently concluded Sri-Lanka series showed he is preparing himself better for world cup 2011. I really pray to GOD, please keep him in that sublime form at least till world-cup finals in Mumbai.
He can roll his arms too as Bishan Singh Bedi called him best off-spinner in Indian team and I agrees.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
Should I need to say something for him? The best thing over years, he has gone through every situation and knows when to act how. I would like to mention one thing for sure, with the emergence of Dhoni and Gambhir, he has started scoring briskly because he knows, in case I gets out, theres someone like Gambhir and Dhoni to anchor the innings. He is not at his previous best but surely better than that. he is mixing his scoring with aggresiveness as well as experience. If only he started batting like he used to be at start of his career precisely say in 1998-99 session, no one can stop India winning the 2011 world-cup. This is the only feather left in Tendulkar's crown. I really pray to GOD for India to win this world-cup as it will be greateast gift and homage to ever greatest one-day player of all time cricket history.
I will request fans not to ask to Tendulkar to bowl a few overs, because you really got to know he is almost 38 now. Moreover after his shoulder operation, he rarely bowls, besides if needed, there is Sehwag, Yuvraj, Raina and others to assist. I know with everyone else, if needed surely Tendulkar will come forward himself and will offer to bowl.
I am day-dreaming ..... its going to be never forgotten saturday evening of april 2nd 2011, the clock needles are stuck at 9 o clock. The whole world's eyes are on Wankhede, where Dhoni tosses the bowl towards Tendullkar for honours. Tendulkar bowls his leg-spin and Indian has won its 2nd world-cup (I am gonna write an article on this, read later).
3. Gautam Gambhir
Best Indian batsman deserves to bat at the best and most demanding position one down. Although I wanted him to open with Sehwag, but surely respecting Tendulkar(as he prefers the opening slot, non-striker), I would like him to come one down as Sehwag can not be dropped from opening the innings. Just one thing for him, for GOD sake, he should bring down his bat while running.
4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Dhoni deserves this 2nd down as he has helped himself a lot becoming the grafter and back-bone of Indian middle-order. He can attack better than others, if situation demands, besides in last two years we have seen what Dhoni is capable of and we need a lock down at least for 2nd down and there's none better than the Captain himeslf.
5. Yuvraj Singh
Do not ever play Yuvraj 2nd down please. He makes crap of himself. He is best suitable for 3rd down, I recommend. As the current form, he is looking out of sorts, but India can not drop him. He may be a bit heavier, but still no one can tale place of Yuvraj. Yuvraj is Yuvraj.
6. Suresh Raina
Raina a very fine player and one of favourites of mine. he deserves batting up the order and he best suits for one down but since the batting order before him is all packed, he will have to manage here. His penchant for six-hitting all makes him better suited here. Besides I don't think he can find gaps(for boundaries) better than Yuvraj and Gambhir, besides Indian middle-order needs him here, so he is locked here.
7. Harbhajan Singh
I am not a big fan of Bhajji fan-club, but since we have got no one better suited for the job here. Besides he carries experience of 242 ODIs wicket behind him, we have to persist with him. Additionally he provides a batting option too. He has lost his flight and loop, too.
8. Zaheer Khan
Best seam-bowler.
9. Ashish Nehra
Second best to Zaheer and probably better at using short-balls and yorkers.
These nine are locked. The other two slots will depend on pitch and requirements and may be on form and fitness of these 9 players. I personally think playing Ojha will be a safer bet as he has been really bowling good in recent matches and will be very much effective as we saw in third IPL, he was economical self and was consistently taking wickets. Praveen could play if Dhoni chooses to play three seamers.
I forgot to mention one thing, Dhoni likes to back his own instintcts and he will surely have a bigger say in final selection. We all saw he played all four seamers back in final with Sri-Lanka a few days ago, similarly he played all three spinners Muralitharan, Ashwin and Jakati in IPL final. There is still six months left before the world cup starts and if some player shot to prominence, he should surely secure a place. Let it be anyone from Ravinder Jadeja or Rohit Sharma or Abhinav Mukund to Rajagopal Satish.
