Lets chase the dream again !!. Review on Indian Cricket Team

CWC 2015 is exactly one month away from here on in and all the teams have submitted their respective squads to the ICC. I expect India to go all the way to the finals and if possible may be even win it. They are lacking in big match experience this time around as players like Sehwag, Yuvraj, Gambhir and Harbhajan have missed out on the final squad. In this blog, I will analyze India's squad that has been selected for the world cup and analyze their strengths. Although this doesn't have any exposing weaknesses, one major area of concern is exhaustion. Will the 15 member team survive through entire summer fully fit is going to be a big question mark, especially considering the fact that our faster bowlers proved to be rudderless in the tour down under. And they have already played four test matches and will play around 10 ODI's in the commonwealth bank series. How many of them will come out of the testing period unscated is going to be a big question. In fact this seems to be everybody's problem not just India's. On that note, lets analyze the squad one by one.

OPENERS

1. Rohit Sharma

What can I say about a batsman who have scored two double hundreds in one day cricket? Rohit needs no introduction to the Indian public. In the cricketing fraternity of mumbai, they call him the HITman. Will he be a hit as expected? Lets wait and see.

1. Shikhar Dhawan

The perfect foil to Rohit Sharma's power hitting is Dhawan. He's got the big match temperament as we've seen in Champions trophy, 2013 and a whole range of strokes too to match Rohit shot to shot. While Rohit takes time to get going, Shikhar doesn't. Thats the reason why I think the selectors retained him in the squad as an opener. Moreover its a left hand- Right hand combination that strikes fury on the opposition. Best opening pair in the tournament? Well close enough. At least up there with Finch, Warner. Guptil, Mccullam.

1. Virat Kohli

If a wicket falls? out comes Virat Kohli the most feared and perhaps even the best ODI player of our times. Its hard to contain Virat no matter what type of bowler you're. He hits them hard and long. He doesn't get off strike. He chases down big totals. He is a big match player this guy. " If you get a wicket early, Virat comes in early and the match will finish early' No respite. Thats what George Bailey had to say about the Kohli factor. Considering his form in Australia India can afford to dream big in this world cup.

1. Ajinkya Rahane

The little dynamite from mumbai packs a punch. What I like about him is the fact that he can accelerate scoring at will. He can play the sheet anchor role if needed. And, yes, play the openers role if one among Rohit or Shikhar gets injured.

1. Suresh Raina

The most dangerous batsman in one day cricket at the moment is none other than Suresh Raina for me. The way plays spin. Goes to the backfoot and plays the late cut like Lara does or the way he comes down the track and lofts the bowlers through covers or straight down the ground. One of the criticisms against Raina revolved around his inability to play long innings in the middle overs. Well I believe he's close to sorting that out.

1. Ambati Rayudu

The perfect batsmen to play the sheet anchor role as far I'm concerned. He's come through the hard yards to get into this team. Now is his great opportunity.

1. Dhoni

Dhoni the finisher. Dhoni the wicket keeper. Dhoni the one-down batsman. Dhoni the sheet anchor. Dhoni the bludgeoning force at the death overs. Dhoni the man for crisis situation. Dhoni the talisman. I know there is the likes of Clarke and Mccullam but IMO MSD is the best ODI captain going around at the moment. Nobody rotates the bowlers around as good as Dhoni does. The kind of guerilla captain who sneaks a couple in from Raina and Rohit. My guess is that if Dhoni gets it going early in the tournament? Then it will be hard to stop India. It will be hard to stop India anyhow.

1. Stuart Binny

Should he have played? Should he have been in the squad? Well wait a second. He has the best bowling figures for a limited overs bowler in India. He can field well, bat well and strike the long ball. Bits and pieces cricketer in test matches. A UTILITY cricketer in ODI's. Big match temperament? He's got plenty of them.

1. Axar Patel

A very good left arm spinner who can hit the ball a long way! He hasn't played many-a-games but in whatever games he has played - he plays as if he owns the stage. Terrific fielder too just like Jadeja.

1. Jadeja

India had an Ajay Jadeja in the past who was a genuine bat and a wily customer with the bowl. This Jadeja has nothing in common with that guy in terms of skill set. But in terms of temperament, they are very similar. These are the kind of players who believe a match is not over until its well and truly over. Like Dhoni, Jadeja is a pivotal part of this Indian one day unit.

1. Shami

The best death bowler India have at the moment. He can swing it both ways. He can bowl reverse swing. He takes wickets eventhough he goes for runs. In 2014 he was the second highest wicket taker in ODI's. Surprised? Well, I surely am.

1. Ishanth

The man with the golden arm. Ishanth is our most experienced bowler. His experience will come in ha dy especially when you consider the fact that no bowler in this line up apart from Ashwin has played a world cup game.

1. Ashwin

Another utility cricketer. A genuine all rounder I'd rather say. Ashwin is our best off spinner without doubt, somebody who can stem the flow of runs in the middle overs by bowling economically. Whether or not India will win the world cup depends highly on whether Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar patel controls the game in the middle overs. Thats where I see a major weakness in this team. Dhoni, off late, has lost the art of controlling the game in the middle overs.

1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

One of the best limited overs going around at the moment. He's got a lethal in swinger. A good outswinger. A very good slower one and a solid yorker. Moreover, he can stuck around with the bat if need be.

1. Umesh Yadav

If you want pace? There you have it. Everything else is a pity though. I wonder how on earth Yadav got into the team ahead of Dhawal Kulkarni. Is it because with Dhawal in, India's pace attack would become too one dimensional? May be so. May be not.

All right then. Thats ma take on the team for the world cup. I think this is a well balanced team. Dominant in the batting department especially. India have shown in the recent past that batting alone can win ODI's in the recent past. Well what do you think? About the team and about that wily/ controcersial statement of mine?

P.s. Sachin would be dearly missed. Period.