In less than eight weeks, India will launch their campaign in the World Cup at home. An anxious nation will hope Rohit Sharma’s team to do what Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men did 12 years ago.
However, there’s hardly any element of optimism or confidence in the minds of the cricket followers. The team has been bereft of the aura of a champion side, plagued by injuries and inconsistent form of key players.
India’s playing XI has been an enigma with the middle-order mysteriously unknown. While most other teams, including England, Pakistan and Australia, have a settled look about them, India are struggling to put together a batting unit which can play their full quota of 50 overs.
Rahul Dravid was looked upon as the messiah when he took charge as head coach in November 2021. Nearly 21 months later, unless there’s a dramatic turn of events it is unlikely that he will be asked to continue once his two-year term expires.
It has been a saga of missed opportunities for one of India’s batting legends. The team failed in both the Tests and ODIs in South Africa before losing the fifth Test of the unfinished series in England. What followed was a debacle in the T20 World Cup semi-final last year. India’s dubious team selection and faulty strategy in the World Test Championship final against Australia is still fresh in memory.
Their performance in the ODIs too has hardly been inspiring. Series losses in Bangladesh and versus Australia, besides a narrow triumph in the West Indies, haven’t done justice to their reputation. Lack of flexibility, one-dimensional players and poor strategy have been the root cause and Dravid has to take the blame.
A balanced team which is not reliant only on a Rohit Sharma or a Virat Kohli would have been ideal. It was the team management’s responsibility to unearth a Suresh Raina or a Yuvraj Singh, keeping in mind the injury factor.
Does India have a batter in the middle-order who can hold the innings together and guide the team in the middle overs? Can any one play the sort of innings Yuvraj or Raina played against Australia in the 2011 quarter finals?
This process of identifying substitutes for any eventuality should have started at least a year ago. Dravid’s core team should have realised its importance much earlier after reviewing the ground realities. It has taken too long for the think-tank to ascertain that Sanju Samson is not cut out for the big league.
It’s ironic that the head coach is now complaining about batting depth after having spent 21 months with the side. He might have spoken in the context of the T20 team but it applies to the ODI squad too.
Even if KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer make it to the squad, there’s no guarantee that they will rediscover their old form instantly. The World Cup is all about inspirational performances, clinical execution of roles and rising to the occasion. That is what make champion teams click.
The call to blood youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal or Tilak Varma will grow as the dearth of quality batters has been brutally exposed.
Much will depend on miracles and the potential gamechangers’ timely recovery besides perfect implementation of plans. India will dare to dream again but does Rohit’s men have it in them to deliver?
