TEAM INDIA after winning the Border-Gavaskar Series 2-0
The journey prior to any big match is always full of uncertainties. And when you have a tournament, as big as the WORLD CUP , the roadway gets even more mysterious.
Having played some top sides, both home and away, the Men In Blue could not have asked for a better preparation for 2011 World Cup.First the Border-Gavaskar trophy, then the New Zealand series at home and finally the most high-profile amongst them- facing the Proteas on their home soil, the Indian team was put on full trial to test their abilities and in the process gear themselves up for the mother of all tournaments.
A challenging series victory over the Aussies (2-0 in 2 Tests) & (1-0 in 3 ODI's-the other 2 matches being abandoned) which was followed by a supreme reign over the Kiwis (1-0 in 3 Tests) & (5-0 in 5 ODI's) was finally brought to an end by a rather impressive outing on the Proteas soil where the team managed to draw the Test Series 1-1 for the first time on their home turf.Although the ODI series ended in a 2-3 loss with the excitement going full on till the decider, the team had few negatives to work upon but a lot of
positives to look at.
TEAM INDIA after winning 5-0 against New Zealand at home
There were a lot of criticisms regarding their batting especially their top order collapse.The team was already suffering three major losses in the form of their top 3 batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.Add to it the poor bowling form of Asish Nehra who seemed totally lost in this particular series. But team India has always been full of surprises. It was for the very first time that the Indian team managed to take a lead in the ODI series in South Africa when they won two back to back both cliffhangers. While in one they were victorious in defending a paltry total of 190 (finally managing to win by 1 run), in the other they were successful in chasing a modest total of 220 runs after being 5 down for 93 runs.
There were a lot of positives that one was bound to look at as far as this particular series was concerned. The likes of Virat Kohli, Munaf Patel, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan all stood up to the occasion. Considering they were not playing their full strength, it was indeed spectacular to see the youngsters take charge and lead from the front. Virat Kohli, who bats at no.3 has truly been a big revelation for the team. One wonders what would his position be when the top 3 slots are jam-packed by Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gauti. Does this mean Raina will have to miss out ? Or will Virat have to be in the dressing room throughout ? There remains a big question. Yusuf Pathan who has become rich, all thanks to his brutal batting, justified his place in the final 15- member World Cup Squad when he won us the 3rd match with his crucial 59 runs off 69 balls and then almost the decider when he blasted the SA bowlers all round the park scoring 105 off just 70 (watch video) balls at a time when the team was tottering at 98-7 needing 251 runs to win. A couple of spectacular innings by Pathan in SA actually had its origin in the NZ series back home where his knock of 123 not out was instrumental in team's another magnificent win over the visitors.
Here's a look at Yusuf Pathan's brutal century against the Proteas.
Another player who must have impressed the selectors was medium pacer Munaf Patel, who played a major hand in the 2nd ODI win where the team did the unexpected. No one would have ever thought that the team would be able to defend a total as low as 190, but they did and eventually emerged victorious by 1 run.Yuvraj Singh did manage to gain his long lost form.He was quite handy with the ball as well chipping in with some crucial break throughs when required.
There were some concerns regarding Suresh Raina's form but frankly speaking, this does not bother me at all. He has been a star performer. He has got everything right about his techniques. All he needs to do is just spend more time in the middle and stroke the balls uniformly. His form should not be a major cause of worry. A worry though remains on captain MS Dhoni's poor run with the bat in the ODI matches.But I think it's again a matter of time before he starts giving the bowlers a run for their money.
Source of Pictures: Google
