It is hard to express just how disappointed I am in Indias selected 15 man squad for the 2015 World Cup. Theyve overlooked pace and aggression and included military medium pacers for a tournament being held in Australia and New Zealand. They have 3 spinners in the team. And the dumbest thing theyve done is include Ishant Sharma ahead of Varun Aaron (the 3rd fastest bowler in the world). The batting is fair enough. India Team Performance in World Cup 2011 India was considered strong in its batting line and an attractive lineup was created by Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag who opened the tournament. Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli , Yuvraj Singh, Captain MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, followed the line up and played brilliantly. All of them had certain unique playing style that helped the Indian team as a whole. The Indian team had lots of bowling option in the line up with two veterans off spinners Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin. Zaheer Khan, paceman were assisted by new entrants Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Piyush Chawla and S Sreesanth. Group Stage Matches India started their World Cup campaign with an 87 run win against Bangladesh in Dhaka. India next played England at Bangalore but unfortunately India managed to tied the match. It was only the fourth tied match in World Cup history. In their third match, India defeated Ireland by 5 wickets while in fourth match against Netherlands at Feroz Shah Kotla, India managed to win. In the fifth match against South Africa, India lost the match in close encounter. It was India’s first and alone lost in the 2011 World Cup. India’s final group match was against West Indies and they won that quite comprehensively. With finishing second in Group B, India had qualified for the Quarter finals. Quarter Final Match The defending champions Australia was faced by the Indian Team in the quarterfinals at Ahmedabad. The toss was won By Australia and they decided to first bat. A wonderful score was created by Australian captain Ricky Ponting making a score of 104 runs from 118 balls with 1 six and 7 fours and Brad Haddin scored 53 runs from 62 balls with 1 six and 6 fours. At regular pace, wickets were snatched by Zaheer Khan, Ravi Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh forcing Australian team to restrict at 260 runs at the loss of six wickets in 50 overs. Tendulkar chased this score with his gutsy batting. He scored 53 runs with 7 fours and 68 balls. He was assisted in this task by Gautam Gambhir who scored 50 runs that included 2 fours at 64 balls. Yuvraj Singh made 57 runs from 65 balls hitting 8 fours. With 5 wickets in hand, India chased this score. Semifinal Match In semi finals, India played against their arch rivals, Pakistan. The toss was won by India and decided to bat first. Sehwag started in his customary fast style but still Indian batsmen were facing the problem of Pakistani attack through ballers. The ball hit by Tendulkar was hit four times in the field but he was able to score 85 runs from 115 balls. India slumped at 5/187 and finally India reached its position at 9/260. Wahab Riaz (5-46) took a 5-wicket haul for Pakistan. Despite not so good show by India, Pakistan lost the game. Final Match At Wankhede Stadium, India played a match against Sri Lanka in the World Cup finals. The toss was won by Sri Lanka and they decided to first bat. This was a batting friendly pitch and Zaheer Khan started bowling giving three maiden overs. At 1/31, Upul Tharanga wicket was taken over by Zaheer Khan after tenth over. The Sri Lanka innings was resurrected by Mahela Jaywardhane when he scored a century. Captain of the team Kumar Sangkarra and Thisara Perera also took their team to a comfortable position. However, India started its run chasing the score rather on a wrong foot. Lasith Malinga bowled out Tendulkar and Sehwag leaving India at 6.1 overs with 2/31 score. Indian Innings was rebuilt by Gautam Gambhir when in partnership of Virat Kohli, he created a score of 83 runs. 109 runs were scored by MS Dhoni and brought Indian team back to the game. After Gambhir, Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh improved the position of the Indian team. The required total was reached when Dhoni blasted a massive six helping Indian cricket team by six wickets. India Squad for World Cup 2015 BCCI announced the 15-member squad that will represent India at next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand No place for Robin Uthappa or Murali Vijay either, though the selectors have included Axar Patel and Stuart Binny. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin are the only survivors from the squad that lifted the trophy on home soil four years ago. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain) The Ranchi dasher may have retired his whites, but he is still undeniably, India’s best player in limited overs cricket. Criticised for being too defensive in Test cricket, Dhoni has mastered the art of winning matches in the shorter format, be it with the bat or while donning the captain’s hat. In 2011, Dhoni was instrumental in leading India to its first World Cup triumph in 28 years. Along with leading with the side, Dhoni will also play a crucial role with the bat, particularly while chasing. Rohit Sharma Sharma’s Test form — much like some of his teammates — has been abysmal. But its the limited overs format that Sharma revels in. Fresh from a historic 264 against Sri Lanka, Sharma has fitted into the opener’s role well and will be relied on for strong starts. Shikhar Dhawan After a prolific 2013, the man with the twirling moustache endured a dismal run with the bat in 2014. A poor player of swing bowling, Dhawan will be put through a stern test on the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia and New Zealand. Virat Kohli Arguably the best batsman in the world at the moment, Kohli will be India’s main man at the World Cup. Equally adept at handling both pace and spin, a strong tournament for Kohli will bolster India’s chances of going all the way. Suresh Raina Over the last couple of years, Raina has established himself as an ODI specialist. Electric in the field and a deadly finisher with the blade, Raina has become one of the mainstays of the Indian ODI team. However, his susceptibility to the short ball may trouble him in Australia and New Zealand. Ajinkya Rahane After being a fringe player for so long, Rahane seems to have grabbed his opportunity with both hands. The Mumbaikar, who possesses a wide repertoire of shots can operate both in the middle-order as well as the back-up opener. Ambati Rayadu From the clutches of the now defunct Indian Cricket League to playing for India, Rayadu’s comeback to the national fold is laudable. Rayadu may not be an automatic choice in the XI, but is more than a capable back-up batsman. Ravichandran Ashwin The offie from Chennai played a limited role in India’s 2011 triumph, but he will be the team’s leading spinner in 2015. Ashwin often goes for runs, but has the knack of picking up crucial wickets. His batting lower down the order will also come in handy. Ravindra Jadeja Jadeja is the perfect embodiment of the modern-day limited overs cricketer. Equally effective with bat and ball, along with being a live wire in the field, Jadeja is one of the most important players in India’s ODI set-up. His fitness will be the only worry. Stuart Binny The other all-rounder in the squad, Binny’s performances since his debut last year have been largely unimpressive. But on pitches that will assist fast bowlers, his seam-ups may be useful. However, it is difficult to see him dislodge Jadeja from the first XI. Axar Patel After impressing in the Indian Premier League, Patel has made the transition from domestic to international cricket with ease. A promising left-arm spinner. Patel will find it challenging to bowl on pitches that traditionally do not offer much to the spinners. Bhuvneshwar Kumar A talented seam bowler who can move it both ways, Kumar will lead India’s bowling attack at the World Cup. However, due to his lack of pace, Kumar often struggles on flat decks. He must also work on his death bowling. Mohammed Shami Shami is one of the few bowlers in India who can move the ball at pace. Also a skillful exponent of reverse swing, Shami will be entrusted with the task of containing opposition batsmen during the slog overs. Ishant Sharma With Sharma, it’s either the sublime or the woeful. Striking a balance between things in clearly not one of his fortes. The bouncy pitches at the World Cup will aid his style of bowling, but he must not overdo the short ball. Umesh Yadav Yadav may be the one of the fastest bowlers around, but his erratic bowling often spells trouble for the Indian team. However, his ability to bowl yorkers at the death should ensure him a place in the XI.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 18:58:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015