Cup scenario brightens

A few things have become clearer in the World Cup scenario. One, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be in the thick of it. Two, team India may not be a top order-centric one-dimensional batting team thanks to the flowering of a rare talent in Hardik Pandya. The Indians may have to thank the Aussies for clearing two doubts even if the visitors had the rough end of the stick in the weather ruining their chances in reducing the first ODI to a bizarre 50:21 game, which with  new balls at each end making the chase a nightmare.

The early pressure on the home side was predictable as they were facing a better directed pace attack from the Aussies. They may have had it too easy against the islanders when a depleted Sri Lankan side had surrendered the matches long before the new white balls lost their shine. The pattern of recent performances had begun to suggest that India was becoming a top heavy team dependent on the first four to give it the early thrust.

This was not the first ODI this season in which ‘Iceman’ Dhoni lent a helping hand in steering the bottom order. That his vastly experienced hand was needed to save Team India the blushes – as he did in the company of Bhuvneswar Kumar once in Sri Lanka — was the first sign of how much the line-up struggles when the openers and Virat Kohli at one drop don’t fire. Dhoni’s calming influence is something the team needs desperately because the top order is also prone to coming apart under pressure as much as it is capable of tearing off to a great start when things click early.

The Aussies are certain to be more competitive in an even 100-overs international. They have a batting lineup that can test Team India if Warner and Smith come off at the top and Maxwell tends to the end overs with his ability to strike mayhem as he showed briefly in the Chepauk encounter. They are as capable of smacking the ball around if they get the chance to look at the older cherry standing up to be hit on the slow pitches.

There could be interesting contests to come between the evenly matched second and third ranked teams Australia and India, both on 117 points to South Africa’s 119. And the Aussies may not be so liberal again in dropping catches, although this seems to be a new phenomenon in the modern game as we saw in the England-West Indies series in which a record 40 catches went down. In an era in which fielding standards have improved leaps and bounds, it’s hard to imagine that catching standards could dip like this.

The other big test for India would be big games. They failed in a few of them over the last few years, beginning with the world Cup of 2015, through the T20 worlds in India and then the Champions Trophy final in England. The last was the unpredicted one as the team lost the grip when challenged by a free attack on the new ball in the early overs just when they seemed to be the overwhelming favourites to win the title despite the glitch against Sri Lanka in one of the league games. This is one doubt that is yet to be erased from any World Cup scenario being painted about two years before the big event.

The current streak beginning in Sri Lanka has been impressive as it has not only shown up how precious the talent of the likes of Pandya is. The ability to fight back from difficult situations, which has also been prominent, lends the combination a potential beyond just being a good team when they are on top.

These are early days to judge potential World Cup, but the signs right now are beginning to look right. Playing and wining big games is, however, going to be the determinant between winning and losing the coveted cup.