World Cup Teams: Favourites Australia and unfancied champions India

Here we are. It has effervesced up to the last two teams. The defending champions and the hosts. We are here after a champion side that isn’t known for a having soft tissue grieved together as a nation and very publicly so, when tragedy struck, but once again put on a display that is congruent with their history and philosophy. We are here, also after a two-month tour that ended winless for a side that is generally a poor traveller overseas but is, or was, a force to reckon with in the limited overs format. Australia have done well to put the Hughes tragedy behind – or at least not let it affect their performance. India have not done that well to overcome the non-cricketing issues back home and a few even on tour. Australia are playing a world cup on home soil after 22 years – the same duration for which India had the services of the university of batting – a certain Mr Tendulkar for this marquee tournament. 

Australia
Australia, they say, is kind on its tourists but rough on her own people. That though, is restricted to tourists who don’t arrive with an intention of handing a sporting defeat on their teams. Australia have never in the past let off field issues affect them and that is mainly by not having any. This time, it is a cauldron simmering with opinions. Leadership and hierarchy were never an issue with this side – even with the best captain Australia never had – a.k.a. the Sheikh of Tweak Shane Warne – who has thrown his full weight behind Michael Clarke in wake of the captaincy, fitness and equation crises that have hit the captain-coach-board combine. That an ex-player had to do it, is itself the biggest concern. Australia seem to have a subcontinental problem this time, that of too many captains in the playing eleven. They currently have three in Clarke, Bailey and Smith and with just days to go there is not much clarity on who will head for the toss. Add to that the enigma of Shane Watson – who will in time develop a problem with any captain – and you’ve got a chain of command issue. A fit Michael Clarke does not have to mean Bailey heads to the bench unless Faulkner is unfit – which is what looks very likely. 

These issues aside, a gun to the head one would pick Australia to have a slight edge over other teams – primarily on talent than current form. Hazlewood and Starc have been very impressive and should be the second picks after that man that doesn’t care about the new or old ball. He could be equally lethal with an orange. Warner, Watson, Smith, Clarke and Maxwell make sure Australia have the best batting line-up without counting Bailey and Finch. Haddin and Doherty will have to play as their place is not dependent on form or performance so much as it is with roles. If you’re counting, and everyone should be – this leaves one spot open for Faulkner, Bailey, Finch and Cummins. Then if, Faulkner and Clarke both fail the fitness test, it opens a whole new gamut of problems.

One thing is certain though, with any of the combinations Australia will be the team to beat along with South Africa in this World Cup. For a country that is so invested in sports, one look at Leyton Hewitt explains why they covet winning to the extent they do and with what philosophy. 

Squad: Michael Clarke (captain), George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson
 

India
To put it bluntly, India look like a person whose eternal search for Mr or Ms Right ends in adopting seven cats when a person ‘good enough for right now’ is lurking in the corner. India have a Yuvraj Singh-sized hole and they are looking to fill it with Binny, Patel, Rayadu, and Ashwin. But, if anyone thinks MS Dhoni doesn’t have a trick or two up his sleeve they have been sleeping for a decade. The defence is going to be tough when the bowling cabinet is as empty as the office on an India-Pakistan match. The first lines from The Blind Side go; “…as every housewife knows, the first cheque you write is for the mortgage, but the second is for the insurance” – India, are again betting their mortgage and insurance both, on batting – this time out of lack of choice.

For MS Dhoni’s Test career to end like it did is just not fair. This though means that he will be ready, hungry and focussed on making this World Cup the biggest story. Ms Dhoni is going back to the place where it all started for him with the CB Series win. For the first time the Indian batting line-up will not feature Tendulkar and that is a huge lacuna, also won’t feature in that are the names Zaheer, Harbhajan, Gambhir and Sehwag. Apart from being just big names on paper, they did contribute hugely to the 2011 title. 

2011 was Sachin’s World Cup, his story and then out of nowhere Yuvraj put his hand up to deliver and how! This time, Kohli is already travelling with a reputation – and expectations which he has mostly been able to fulfil on tour. India’s Achilles heel – the perennial problem of openers needs to be addressed with Rohit, Rahane and Dhawan. Kohli should be able to bat where he wants to bat and that will depend largely on the opposition and match situation. A long acclimatising tour is a double-edged sword and quite literally considering the injury concerns India have to deal with. Ishant Sharma has been declared unfit which means the bowling unit is largely the same that has taken a serious mauling in the last two months.

On the brighter side, he has at his disposal, his best secretary of defence – another player that doesn’t get credited for his role, in Suresh Raina. Together they have scripted many a beautiful finish. This time he doesn’t have the best side on paper – but it is largely a squad which is almost fully his choice. Rahane and Rohit if do come off are an absolute treat to watch and a threat to match. The team might look jaded on current form, but if they manage to compliment and do their jobs – who is to say they won’t go all the way? Mohit and Bhuvi are a miserly combination who would need one or two among Yadav, Patel and Jadeja to do the task of taking wickets; seven if not ten. India have a tendency to put in magical performances at big stages and more so when the gap between their backs and a wall is wafer thin – both these conditions are fulfilled now. It will be very surprising to not see India in the last four, but India should be focussed on the group stages for now, and that encounter that everybody’s baited breaths for. Law of averages might catch up, and that would be okay considering it won’t be a knockout – if they don’t let it become one.

Never in the last six world cups has an Indian side looked so unlikely to win the cup before it began – and therein lies India’s biggest advantage. There is no dearth of talent in the squad. All that we the fans wish to see is application and couple of MSD masterstrokes of strategy – then it is up to how the tournament pans out for the ‘horses for courses’ strategy. 

Squad: MS Dhoni (captain & wicketkeeper), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Stuart Binny