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In less than four weeks India starts their campaign in the T-20 World Cup in Australia with a match against Pakistan. Like all other participating teams India too is aiming to focus on the shortest format in preparation for the mega event.
Since their surprise triumph in the inaugural tournament in South Africa in 2007 India have flattered. Their best in six subsequent competitions was the runner up spot in 2014, going down to Sri Lanka in the final.
The format is such that predicting a winner correctly is almost impossible. For example, going by India's dismal showing at the recent Asia Cup their chances of winning the World Cup can be ruled out.
But then whoever thought that Sri Lanka would win the competition? That's the unpredictable nature of the format in which there can be no clear favourites. One good day at the office could make the team's fortunes rise, and one bad day could start a slide.
It is a format in which rankings do not count for much. At the Asia Cup Sri Lanka ranked eighth defeated Pakistan ranked fourth in the final, while top ranked India fell by the wayside. The most significant stat to drive home this point is that in seven World Cup competitions six teams have won the trophy with only West Indies lifting it twice.
India's preparations for the World Cup are on the right track. In the first place they have two contests against top teams like South Africa who are ranked No. 3, and Australia who are the reigning champions as part of the build-up.
The just concluded series against Australia saw India notch up a well deserved victory but there were clear ups and downs in the process. The batting is strong and is clearly one of the most lustrous line-ups in the shortest format.
Unfortunately the bowling especially in the death overs leaves a lot to be desired and this is one area which has to be seriously looked into by coach Rahul Dravid and the team management. The smug feeling is that however weak the bowling is, the formidable batting will see us through but it does not always work out that way. It is hoped that the coming series against South Africa will see the bowlers perform better so that the team can approach the World Cup in a positive frame of mind.
A good start has also been made with the selectors picking a team with few surprises. There is no dearth of talent in India especially when it comes to the limited overs game and it is not easy being a selector for there is truly an embarrassment of riches around. Obviously a few players will be disappointed at being left out but only 15 can be chosen and they can take heart from the fact that they are likely to be part of the Indian team again.
Certainly the squad compares favourably with the teams of the other countries and as I said given the format almost every side has an equal chance of emerging triumphant. The only real question mark would appear to be over the non-inclusion of Mohammed Shami who is listed among the four standbys who will also travel to Australia.
The pacer's skill and experience cannot be questioned but there is a feeling that he is now becoming a Test specialist. Certainly his stats in the traditional format – 216 wickets from 60 matches – are far better than his T-20 figures – 18 wickets from 17 games. Shami has proved to be a handful in ODIs too but there is a tendency to pick younger men when it comes to the shortest format, and this is where the 32-year-old just misses out.
The side is well served in the pace department (Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel) and in the spin department (Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal) with Patel getting his chance because of the injury to Ravindra Jadeja. Hardik Pandya is the all-rounder and as such a key member of the squad.
The choice of two wicket keepers in Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik may appear redundant but both are actually there because they can be pretty destructive with the bat. The five main batsmen – skipper Rohit Sharma, his deputy KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda are automatic choices. Indeed the tour selection committee could well find it tough to pick the playing eleven for every game.
Along with Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar are the other standbys and it will be good to have them around if there are injury or indisposition issues. That a quartet of players with a proven record just missed making the main squad is again an indication of the bench strength available in Indian cricket at the moment.
So can Rohit and his men finally bring the trophy home again? As I said, their chances are as good as almost any other team in the competition. After all they are still the No. 1 ranked side in the format however unpredictable it is.
