They are table toppers in Pool B but the Indian team's showing so far has not been in keeping with their record or their reputation as World Cup favourites. With two tough matches still to be played against South Africa and the West Indies they will have to raise the level of their performance if they wish to repeat the feat of Kapil's Devils in 1983 even if their entry into the quarterfinals is more or less assured.
Figures may not always tell the whole story but a glance through the statistics associated with the Indian team during their World Cup campaign throws up some tell tale facts. The Indians are riding on the achievements of a few while the others have hardly contributed to the team's cause. The runs have come from the bats of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh; the wickets have been taken by Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh. This clearly illustrates that half the squad hasn't really contributed much and that cannot be good for a team aspiring for great things.
The lack of killer instinct is also a worrisome factor. When confronted with weak opposition the outstanding teams over the years have generally brushed them aside. Even in the current edition of the World Cup it will be seen that New Zealand registered ten-wicket victories over Kenya and Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka swept aside Zimbabwe by 139 runs and Canada by 210 runs, West Indies routed Bangladesh by nine wickets after dismissing them for 58 and annihilated Netherlands by 215 runs, South Africa overwhelmed Netherlands by 231 runs, Pakistan swept aside Kenya winning by 205 runs, West Indies destroyed Netherlands by 215 runs while Sri Lanka raced to a nine-wicket win over Kenya. India on the other hand have huffed and puffed their way to five-wicket victories over Netherlands and Ireland and this cannot be good for the team’s morale.
It was well known at the start of the campaign that the Indian batting was the strong point whereas the bowling and fielding were the weak links. There would appear to be no change in that scenario after four matches but to be candid even the famed batting line-up seems to have developed chinks. Both against Netherlands and Ireland the team had to dig themselves out of a hole before emerging winners and perhaps it is a good thing that the batting has depth.
But if the batting has enough class, skill and experience to recover from a slight slump the same cannot be said about the bowling. Yuvraj Singh has been a saving grace and suddenly the success with his left arm spinners has meant that he can now be counted upon to deliver as a frontline bowler. Zaheer Khan continues to be ever reliable but there is a big question mark over the rest. Harbhajan Singh continues to contain and while this is commendable he is also expected to be among the wickets. He has taken two wickets in four games – hardly the figures one would associate with the team's leading spin bowler. Piyush Chawla is lucky to have kept his place in the team for three matches. Admittedly he has sent down a few deliveries that are a leg spinner's dream but more often his length and line have been way off the mark and he has conceded a lot of runs as his economy rate will illustrate. The team management's reluctance to play Ravichandran Ashwin is unfathomable. Variety in the bowling is fine but it is always advisable to play the better bowler even if he is in the same category. When two left arm seam bowlers can be played why not two off spinners? In any case Yusuf Pathan's utility value has diminished with the emergence of Yuvraj the bowler and it would be better if the former was used as a floater in the batting order.
In any case something different has to be done if the Indians are to mount a serious challenge to win the trophy they won once before 28 years ago. The conformists may say it is dangerous to tinker with a team midway through a campaign. All the same when things are not working perfectly and the defective areas have been identified changes need to be made. The team management needs to adopt some bold and innovative measures and the time to do that is now.
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