The Cup That Counts

Just about two more hours for the battle for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to begin at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium,Dhaka,Bangladesh.From a high of 16 teams in the last edition,this time the number of participating teams have been reduced to a sane 14.Cricket's ultimate showpiece is being hosted in the subcontinent after 15 years and with it returns the 'Quarter Final' stage in the tournament format.Incidentally,the 'Quarter Final' as a round was introduced and included in the format for the first and only time the last time the World Cup was staged in South Asia,in 1996.

Anyways,perhaps the second most pertinent speculation in the mind of the Indian cricket enthusiast is what should be the composition of the first playing XI of the Indian team.Few grounds for animosity exists when it comes to fielding a 7-4 combination,i.e.,7 batsmen (including wicketkeeper batsman and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni) and 4 bowlers.And unless venues like Mohali tempt otherwise,4 bowlers would mean 2 seamers and 2 spinners.Now,we understand there are two dead certainties in the bowling line up - Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh,shall they keep fit.Going by the recent performances by Ashish Nehra,you can count him out.It's unfortunate Praveen Kumar has to sit out due to injury,so either Munaf Patel or Sreesanth,Praveen's replacement,will make the cut as Zaheer's partner.Munaf is in good stead with some impressive show in the ODI series in South Africa,while Sreesanth is always an exciting prospect and temptation,because the rare occasions he finds himself a consistent rhythm,he can be devastating,so you never know.

As regards the spinners,the omission of Pragyan Ojha from the squad ahve raised many an eyebrow.Instead Piyush Chawla was picked at the haste of captain Dhoni,his reason being the inclusion of a leggie will add to the variety of the spin attack and also his batting prowess will add solidarity to the lower order.Well,Chawla has not been half as consistent as Ojha in the recent past with the ball,so how much more variety does him being a leggie add than a left arm orthodox?Or perhaps Chawla has edged out Ojha because he has a fantastic googly in his armory?Questions that will never be answered conclusively.And better put at rest at this moment.We saw how Chawla turned around the warm-up match against Australia on a square turning track in Bengaluru.Whether he will be able to recreate the magic in less helpful conditions is a metaphysical ask,but it has added to the selection dilemma.Yes,Ravichandran Ashwin has convinced us with his consistency and maybe he's the more reasonable choice beside Harbhajan.But then,why have a leggie in the side,with the two other spinners being right arm off break bowlers,if you can't play him?

The fifth bowler has always an area for concern for us in the last 15 years.The shoulder niggle Virender Sehwag is carrying takes away one good option in home conditions.Fortunately,Yuvraj Singh is in brilliant form with the ball.Look at his figures on South Africa and the warm-up games.Hardly betrays that he still considers himself a part-timer.He,along with Yusuf Pathan,can be entrusted with the task of assisting the front-line spinners in the middle overs.

And this is where we are almost drawn into sighing,poor Suresh Raina!I had in my first entry in this blog (http://caesarcricket.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-vacancy-for-yuvi.html) pointed out that it's either Yuvraj or Raina who makes the final XI.Yusuf Pathan has only succeeded even more in proving my point and neither Yuvraj nor Raina has helped his cause with the bat.Yusuf's bowling is a plus,and though he isn't used as much as his antics in domestic cricket would suggest,he has been observed to be good in breaking crucial partnerships.And Yuvraj's bowling would most probably see him make the cut despite Raina's blinder against New Zealand in the warm-up in Chennai.

The batting has not gunned big in ODIs this year.While a part of it can be attributed to the absence of Sehwag,Gambhir,and also Tendulkar for the better part of the series against South Africa,the rest collectively has been a letdown.Virat Kohli is in golden touch,and Yusuf Pathan can almost single handedly win any match in the subcontinent if he continues his good run with the long handle.Will the others,especially Yuvraj and Dhoni,follow suit?

One would say our seam attack looks vulnerable.While the likes of Zaheer Khan,Munaf Patel and also Sreesanth,if you take into account the Test series in SA,thrived on the more lively decks there,and what's more heartening is our death bowling,which has been our biggest worry in the recent past and beyond,looked really good.If they would be able to replicate the effort in the brutally batting friendly conditions expected here is something to watch out for in the coming few weeks.

And finally,the billion dollar question,who will lift the Cup?Only a fool would predict for sure this time,for the first time since 1999.Australia were runaway favourites in 2003 and 2007,and rightly so as we found out.This time some people were starting to ignore their potential while they were being hammered by England in the Ashes at home!They have just succeeded to send a timely reminder to them that they are still the No. 1 ranked side in ODIs by returning a 6-1 favour to the English in the ODI series that followed.Ricky Ponting is coming back to play with a half healed finger,but looked composed in the warm-up v. India.Shane Watson is in crushing form and the likes of Cameron White can float like a butterfly and sting you like a bee.Brett Lee's thumping return is good news for Australia and the cricketing world.The news is,you can count them out at your own peril.

India are always a strong side at home and their team is definitely one of the teams to beat and displays an exciting mix of youth and experience,calm and exuberance.Sri Lanka,on the other hand,look closest to he perfectly balanced side,and the fact that they get to play most of their group games in Sri Lanka make it even harder for the other teams to handle them.Maestros like Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan will definitely love to sign off in style.In fact,I feel ot would be an upset if we don't see Sri Lanka making the Final.Beware Malinga and his toe crushers!

South Africa look very intimidating on paper,perhaps their best side to play in the Cup after 1999,but they have yet to prove their worth in the subcontinent against the subcontinent teams in ODIs.Players like Hashim Amla and Johan Botha who would be instrumental to their fate,are in sublime form over the past year or so,and they boast of the best pace attack in the world.England are the dark horses,and if Pakistan,bubbled up from their success in New Zealand,plays as a unit,the Afridis,Razzaqs,Akmals and Akhtars won't be far behind to excite up the arena.

But cometh the hour when play starts,all this analysis,predictions,opinions will be reduced to a heap of shit.Because it will be the best 8 of the 14 who make it to the knockout stage and from then,it's a matter of who plays better on the respective day.But we cricket crazy people across the globe will be connected in our pulses,will breathe,live and die together for the 43 days that follows.Let all the teams fight with all their strength and valour.Because glory does not and must not come cheap.Because this is The Cup That Counts.