The 15 whom we look forward to bring home GLORY!!!
World Cup 2011… Everywhere we find news, articles, views, reviews etc. on the same. Every news channel you switch on to, you find some experts like Sanjay Manjrekar, Arun Lal, Kapil Dev etc. trying to flaunt their knowledge about cricket (well they should because they have played the game at the highest possible level) along with some news reporters. You open your newspaper and you find articles by Saurav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Chappel etc. with immaculate English and some amazing viewpoint. You go online and you have Harsha Bhodle, Mandira Bedi (she writes good… Emotional but good), Joy Bhattacharya tweeting about cricket or posting some article on their websites. Everywhere there is cricket. Some places tend to give us some great insight about cricket whereas at some places we find some pathetic comments and reviews. Well, we can’t help them as itne paise me itna hi milega…
I have been a passionate follower of this game right since the 1992 World Cup when I was just a 7 year old kid. I used to watch matches with my Dad, Grandpa, Uncles and sometimes Mom (reluctantly). I enjoy cricket to the core. I religiously follow cricket. I have had some passionate and emotional discussions and debates with many of my friends. Well, in India all the discussions turn into passionate ones as everyone is equally passionate about the game as me. So I thought why not I too write a review on the 15 men on whom the entire nation of India is relying on to Bring home the glory…
Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Leader of the side. Great Captain. Some people call him lucky while some call him intelligent. But I’ll call this lad from Ranchi as a very smart chap. Frankly, for me, he is continuing from where Ganguly left India. I believe Ganguly was the best captain India ever had. The current team is something that was built by Ganguly and Dhoni is carrying it forward. This section is for Dhoni and let me talk on him now. He is a great captain and a good player. His wicket keeping skills are pretty decent. In today’s world he is the only wicket keeper who doesn’t cushion or receive the ball before breaking the stumps. He directly goes for it. This skill of his is going to be very helpful as the spin friendly Indian Pitches will bring in lot many chances for stumping. His batting has gone for a toss in the recent past but on his day, he can be a very devastating batsman which I guess the Kiwis realized couple of days back. I surely hope he brings about an innings which he played against Sri-Lanka few years back when he exploded the scene and took the Cricket World by Storm.
Sachin Tendulkar: G O D!!! That’s it. Only thing that can describe this little genius. He has been playing cricket almost since the time I was born. I have literally grown up watching this guy play. I still vividly remember his innings against New Zealand, his stepping out to hit Warne for 6s in Sharjah, his mighty pull to an arrogant Andrew Caddick, his return to the world cup immediately after his Dad passed away to hit a century in 1999, his single handed efforts to take the team to the Semis in 1996 World Cup, his contribution in India reaching the 2003 Finals, him standing up tall to face the best bowlers of their times: Waqar, Wasim, Donald, Mcgrath, Pollock, Ambrose, Walsh etc. You name it and he has played them. You name the achievement and he has earned them. He has broken almost all the batting records. He has highest number of 100s in Tests & ODIs, he is the only player till date to score a 200 in ODIs, he has played maximum number of matches ever etc. The only record that evades him and he too is sad about is that he has never won a World Cup for India. I sincerely hope that come 2nd April 2011, and I see this little genius holding the Trophy at the place which he calls his HOME – Wankhede… I can put this on record to say that this is a dream shared by every Indian around…
Virendra Sehwag: The Nawab of Najafgarh… The title this man owns. Well he should, because every captain around the world is scared of this guy. The way he plays the opposition is under extreme pressure of constipation. They are royally screwed once he is on song. He can rip apart any attack on any given day. He is also a very useful spin bowler and I am sure on the Indian pitches he’ll be able to breakthrough many partnerships. In 2003 World Cup, he ripped apart Shoaib Akhtar and I still enjoy watching videos of the same. I just hope he continues doing so with many bowlers possible.
Gautam Gambhir: I call him a very temperamental player. As said by someone, he has the typical Delhi blood running in him. He gets angry very fast and that is reflected in his batting. A stable opener, a decent makeshift one down player and a good fielder. He has all the ability to be a vital player for our success at this campaign. I find him low on stamina count at times as he can’t last for entire 50 overs and is slow in running between the wickets. He is more of a 4 hitter and not a clean 6 hitter but his skills will be surely needed during this world cup. He played a vital role in India winning the 2007 T-20 World Cup. And we expect him to do the same here.
Virat Kohli: He was the captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia and he is a middle order batsman, who can also open the batting. In absence of the top 3, he was the one playing the role of one down batsman. He has been roped in the squad to play the role of Rahul Dravid and he is doing a decent job. Currently, he is the most consistent batsman in the Indian Squad and high hopes hang on him as he goes to play for India during the World Cup. He is a good runner between the wickets and a good fielder too. Overall, he is a reliable player who can play a smart innings and take India towards glory. His main job will be to support the top 3.
Yuvraj Singh: Ok, I guess you guys have read too many sweet things till now. Time for some butt kicking (literally). He made his debut in 2000 and since that day he is called as the young player in the side. Never has he graduated to the level of senior player. The reason for this is his attitude and inconsistency. Frankly, he is a genuine match winner for India. But unfortunately, off late he has not shown any match winning innings. His affairs with Kim Sharma, Deepika Padukone are remembered and talked about more than his cricket. I agree he is the only Indian player to hit six 6s in an over in a T-20 game, but when will we see such a performance again??? I just hope he gets his act straight, gets a good attitude going on the pitch and he too can work wonders.
Suresh Raina: He is a good player and a genuine timer of the cricket ball. He can’t play short stuff but I am a big fan of his timing. For me, he is one of the most elegant players in cricket these days. He might not get much chance to play but I am sure whatever chances he gets, he’ll make the best out of it and play some amazing innings. He is a good finisher and a decent off-spinner too. He is an amazing fielder and is a live wire on the field be it with batting, bowling or fielding. MSD prefers Yuvraj over him, but I would rate him as a much stable player than Yuvraj.
Yousuf Pathan: YK Pathan, I like to call him YK… He is the most explosive hitters in the World of Cricket today. This guy can hit 6s out of the ground with consistency. He is the best finisher of the game. No game is lost until YK is on the pitch. We have seen him make impossible possible at times. I had a discussion with a colleague the other day and we came to a consensus that the only thing separating India from the World Cup is YK. He is the one who can win it for us. At number 7, he can explode and make the opposite captain literally shit in his pants. Any side will not think that they have won the game until they get him out. He is a useful bowler too and I just hope he gets more consistency in his game now. When he started he was a Maverick, now he is a Maverick who realizes his Responsibilities.
Zaheer Khan: Zac is the most senior bowler in the Indian Team. He can bowl some amazing swingers with the new bowl and can be deadly with the old ball too at the death overs. He has matured a lot as a player in the last decade and can use his experience to his advantage any given time. He was a young bowler during the 2003 World Cup and though he played amazingly well during the entire tournament, his nerves lost it for India in the finals. Come 2011 and Zac is way too matured to do something like that. He is the bowling captain for India and it is amazing to see the way he guides the younger bowlers. He always keeps the erratic Sreesanth under control. Zac is a very crucial Cog in the wheel of Indian Bowling Department.
S Sreesanth: He is the most Erratic, Flamboyant, Irresponsible, Unpredictable, Reckless, Immature cricketer for India. Well after saying this, I’ll add that he is one of the best swing bowlers I have seen in recent times. His seam position and seam movements are a treat for your eyes. He is an amazing Test Match Bowler and I hope he should do well in the World Cup too. He can lose his temperament at any given point of time but if he holds his nerves, he is an amazing bowler. He has got his chance because of an injury to Praveen Kumar and he should make his best out of this. And people, please don’t forget that he was the one who took the legendary catch of Misbah to win the 2007 T-20 World Cup.
Munaf Patel: Nothing much to write about him. He started his career as the fastest bowler in India where he bowled at 140+ Kmph but now he is down to the low 120s. He is a good line and length bowler and hits the deck very well but doesn’t have the speed to trouble the batsmen. His line and Length will be the key to his success though. He is a pathetic batsman and very bad fielder. I doubt he’ll get many chances to play.
Ashish Nehra: Time to be rude again. He is the worst player in the Indian Lineup. He played in 2003 World Cup where people remember him only for his 6 wickets against England and then puking on the ground after finishing the spell. He can’t bat, he can’t field and I have no doubts against his bowling as it is the worst thing around. Whenever he runs to bowl, I feel he is constipated and is out of sorts on what to do… Even while fielding he is the laziest fielder. That’s it about him as I want to keep my blog clean and can’t abuse someone so much.
Harbhajan Singh: Bhajji or Turbanator as we famously call him. He is a true match winner with the ball or with the bat. He can spin India to victory any given day. He too was very erratic at start but has controlled aggression now and can play an amazing game of cricket any given day. He brings a lot on the field and his batting on his day can be a treat to watch. He is the most unconventional player but can be very effective when needed. On the spin friendly Indian wickets, he’ll be licking his fingers to deliver.
Piyush Chawla: He arrived at the scene in 2005-06 when during a Challengers Series match; he bowled Tendulkar out with an amazing googly. Even Sachin was amused by this. Chawla was considered to be a rising talent at that time. He has good variation of deliveries in his arsenal. But his only problem was that he didn’t use them intelligently. Come 2011 and he is an intelligent bowler. He uses his variations perfectly. The Aussies saw that in the warm up game and the Kiwis to felt the heat after that. He is a good leg spin bowler who is not scared to flight the ball and he will be key to India’s success during this World Cup.
R. Ashwin: Respect… This guy is studying to be an Engineer. He is an amazing bowler who can bat a bit. He was a surprise inclusion in the squad but I sincerely hope he justifies his selection. His Carrom Balls are amazing and he can fool the batsmen very easily. He is a good fielder and should get a few games to prove his worth.
So these are the 15 men whom we rely upon to break the Australian monopoly on the World Cup. We won it in 1983, played superb in 1996, came very close to winning it in 2003 but that all his history now. These 15 men over the next 1.5 months will hope to bring glory to India. 2nd April 2011, I wish to be standing at the Wankhede Stadium enjoying and savoring every moment of India winning the coveted WORLD CUP!!!!!!!!!!