Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Onto the World Stage: India – The Romantic’s Champions.

Twenty years after they won the world cup, India entered the finals in South Africa in 2003, but only managed to deceive the world. They lost to the only team who could beat them in that edition, Australia. Four years hence, they take on the world again in a bid to bring the cup home after a long time.

And they can actually do it this time. Ever since the “process” began under guru Greg Chappell, they have been through a lot of ups and downs to finally achieve what they aspired to. Atleast what Chappell aspired to. Select the best fifteen for the tournament in the Carribean. And they are: Rahul Dravid (capt), Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel. No surprises or so you may think, except the fact that Sehwag managed to book a flight and that many will be debating the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik.

Sehwag’s inclusion was always under doubt. His horrendous tour in South Africa not withstanding, it is said that Rahul Dravid lobbied extra hard for his inclusion. Why won’t he? After all, he is the only triple tonner in India. But that is in tests for crying out loud. There he has the advantage of open field spaces and not so in the ODI arena where he is cramped for space more and more nowadays, especially when his non-existent technique has been sorted out. Plus the way he got out in the ODI against Sri Lanka when after so long he had got off to a start, only shows how much he values his wicket Mr. Dravid. For me, he was a no inclusion in the side based on this dismissal alone. But then India is not having a problem of plenty at present.

That is the stellar difference between the team of 2003 and the team of 2007. That’s the difference between Ganguly and Dravid as captain, or for that matter, John Wright and Greg Chappell. Chappell might have tried his best but lets be frank, the bench strength is poor. So much so that, we can’t even find proper replacements for Kaif or Raina when they are not good enough any more. That we have to fall back upon Dinesh Karthik as a batsman to bolster our middle order? Which brings us to the point that this actually is not a bad choice on hind sight. What if Dhoni gets injured? That he needs to miss a game of unimportance, say against Bermuda, in order to be fit for an important one in the super 8 stage. Atleast we know that Karthik won’t be a traveller like Parthiv Patel in 2003.

That’s because Sehwag’s form will be a barrier to his selection in the playing eleven. I don’t predict him starting more than three matches in the tournament on his reputation. After that form will be considered, as on this basis Karthik has a stronger case. Maybe a fourth start as a spin bowler. But no more, unless he performs. Why am I comparing an opening bat with a middle order one? Because simply put, India’s opening pair for the cup is fixed in terms of Ganguly and Uthappa. I won’t harp about Ganguly’s masterly comeback, just that it is going to have far reaching and calming effects on a young Uthappa.

Yes Tendulkar is no more required at the top. And the good point is that he agrees with it. He took to it as fish takes to water, in the last two home series. The middle order hasn’t borne this safe and settled look for so long, so much so that my memory betrays me. With Yuvraj, Dravid and Dhoni still to come, it won’t be a bad idea to let him play at no.3 because whatever some anti-Sachin fans may say, he still is our best batsman and is only logical to allow him as many overs to bat as possible. Dravid can do a fine job at no.5 as he has showed us so many times. I don’t think that this is either Tendulkar’s or Dravid’s last world cup, as many may think. I mean how can they not play in 2011 at home is beyond me. But that is another issue. Because for one player, it is definitely his last ODI outing.

Nobody in the world has proved his credentials more often than Anil Kumble. 800+ plus wickets in international cricket and we still have a selector questioning his inclusion in the team to West Indies. I mean come on now. On any day he is better than the likes of Romesh Powar and Murali Karthik, given that Harbhajan Singh is a certainty in the side. the rest of the bowling attack looks formidable on paper atleast. Zaheer, Agarkar, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel have been doing a good job all this while and if past performances are anything to go by, they would continue doing so. Never after Kapil Dev and Srinath, had I thought the Indian fast bowling scenario would look so good.

Nowadays no talk of an Indian bowling line up is complete without mentioning Irfan Pathan as according to many team members themselves, he is the one who gives the side a balance. True, but only if he bowls & bats both, and not just the latter. My two pence to the think tank, he is as dispensable as Sehwag.

No talk of India’s chances at a world cup is complete without discussing Tendulkar’s past exploits. And this alone makes him the most important cog in the Indian wheel at the cup. Even after the tournament is over, he will have a lot to offer to the side but since this is the most open tournament in years, I am putting my money on him to produce the fireworks again. It is the best chance for him to silence his critics by collecting the missing feather in his crown.

Past form sees the team on a world record run of 17 successful run chases to the lows of defeats in Windies, Kuala Lumpur and of course the Champions trophy at home. Add to that, the thrashing in South Africa and you will almost question their contendership for the cup. But as the two series wins at home proved, the Indian public does have a fickle memory.

As guru Greg said, it’s all about reaching the semi-finals. In this particular tournament, it is. After that any team can do anything. An Indian team in form and high on confidence then becomes more than a romantic’s champion.

My verdict – They have the gift, can they do it? Fingers crossed. Come on guys, I wasn’t even born in 1983.