One of the most memorable moments of the 2011 World Cup was carrying the legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders after winning the trophy. Sachin Tendulkar, the legend of Indian cricket for two decades, had all the trophies except the World Cup. That's why when he got the gift of World Cup on his last World Cup tournament, his eyes also became moist.
The young player who completed the maximum part of the field with the Indian tricolor in his hands and Sachin on his shoulders was none other than Virat Kohli.
When commentator Nasir Hussain asked him about this, Virat replied that for decades, Sachin was carrying the burden of expectations of crores of Indian fans on his shoulders, today he was saluted for his contribution to Indian cricket. A great player could hardly have received better respect than this from another great player.
Now the needle of the clock has gone full circle. Virat Kohli himself is standing at that stage of his career, where it can be said that the ODI World Cup to be played in India this year will be his last World Cup. The question is, can the current Indian team be able to gift Kohli the way Sachin Tendulkar lifted the trophy in his sixth and final World Cup?
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag also said in a recent event that he wants the present team to show the same spirit as the 2011 team played the World Cup for Sachin.He said, “We played that 2011 World Cup for Tendulkar. If we had won the World Cup, it would have been a grand farewell for Sachin paaji. Virat Kohli is now at that point, every player of the Indian team would like to win the World Cup for him.
Virender Sehwag said, "Kohli himself always gives more than 100 per cent. I think Virat Kohli is also eyeing this World Cup. Around 100,000 people will come to watch you play at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Virat knows how the pitches will behave. I am sure he will score a lot of runs and will try his best to win the cup for India.
But to become a strong contender for the upcoming World Cup, the Indian team will have to face many challenges.On Indian team's World Cup bid, former coach Ravi Shastri pointed out a major weakness in Rohit Sharma's team. According to Shastri, there is a problem in the balance of the team due to the absence of any left-handed batsman in the Indian top order.
Citing the example of the 2011 World Cup winning team, he said that the team had seasoned left-handed batsmen like Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. Because of this, the team's batting line-up had a good mix of right-handed batsmen.
Due to the left-right combination, the bowlers need to change their line and length continuously. Along with this, fielding deployments also have to be changed with each run.
If you look at the winning teams of Australia, you will find that there were definitely two or three left handers in the first six of the batting order. According to Shastri, while trying this formula, Team India should also change the opening pair.
Instead of opening Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, one of these should be replaced by a left-handed batsman. Also Read: Tamim Iqbal retires from international cricket
But the problem is that there is a famine of left handed batsmen in Indian cricket.If the selectors think out of the box, then maybe Rishabh Pant can be tried in the top 3 or in the opening itself.
But after the car accident, he has not been able to play again and the chances of his recovery before October are very less. Two left hand all-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel do not have the experience of batting in the top order.
The selectors will have to look at the players who have performed well in the IPL and they will have options like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishaan Kishan and Tilak Verma. These three are very talented players and they should be prepared for the World Cup to infuse youth into the team.
In the upcoming series, these players should be given maximum opportunities so that Shastri's dream of having at least 2 left-handed batsmen in the top six can be fulfilled.To curb the batting problems, it is necessary that the captain of the team appears in the old rhythm and form.In the last World Cup played in England, he made India proud by scoring three brilliant centuries.To give confidence to the team in 50-over cricket, Rohit will have to play big innings, for which he has been known.
In the cricket after the last World Cup, that depth in his batting has rarely been seen and these days whether it is ODI or T20, his average has decreased instead of increasing.Rohit Sharma scored his last ODI century in New Zealand this year. He is third in the list by scoring 30 centuries in ODIs and he is the only player to score three double centuries in ODIs.
Like Kohli, this could be Rohit's last ODI World CupThe pair of Kohli and Rohit in Indian cricket is similar to the Jai-Veeru pair of the movie Sholay who are number one in teamwork and are capable of defeating any mighty opposition.There is no doubt that Rohit Sharma will be the main character in giving Kohli the gift of World Cup victory.
The role of spinners will be important in Indian conditions. The Indian team would like to choose any three experienced Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. However, in modern cricket, spinners are not only expected to take wickets but are also expected to score runs when needed.
In this context, Ashwin, Jadeja and Patel fit, but Dhoni's favorite 'Kul-Cha' pair gets weak.
Looking at the current form, perhaps three of Ashwin, Jadeja, Chahal and Patel can be replaced in the team.
Preparing the fast-bowling line-up will be the biggest headache for the Indian management in the upcoming World Cup.Jasprit Bumrah's playing is questionable, in such a situation the fast bowling starts looking weak.
Mohammad Siraj has improved a lot in his bowling but Shami is at that stage of age where he can make mistakes in bowling ten overs. There will be a big debate on who will be the third seamer. Is young Arshdeep Singh ready for ODIs or have the batsmen now learned the secret of his bowling in IPL?
Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat are on a career decline, while Navdeep Saini has not lived up to the promise he showed. In Indian conditions, there is also good scope for reverse swing in the afternoon.
Will the Indian seamers be able to take advantage of this?Overall, the team that got Kohli the trophy can only be called work in progress. This will be the last World Cup for many senior players of this team and all of them will surely be eager to go out with a win.
After winning the Champions Trophy in the year 2017, India has a good chance to end the ICC trophy drought. But the Indian team will face a tough challenge from teams like Australia, England, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Victory for the Indian team will be possible only when instead of one or two players, the whole team plays as one.
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