It’s neither easy, nor difficult. A cautious approach is all that the defending champions India need to walk through the group stage. The fixture for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, announced on Tuesday, is such that all the major teams will have ample opportunities to qualify for the knockout round.
For India, it’s just a repeat of Champions Trophy 2013 with the addition of three more teams — Zimbabwe, Ireland and Qualifier 4. like CT in England, India are again grouped with Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies in Pool B. MS Dhoni-led side had beaten all three of them fair and square along with Sri lanka and England in semifinal and final respectively. Though, in 18 months time, it won’t matter much, it will still give India a psychological edge when they will face all these teams again at the biggest stage.
India are no stranger to the conditions in Australia and their struggle is well documented. They lost the Test series 4-0 and couldn’t reach the finals of the triangular ODI series as well during their last visit Down Under. But since then, India’s performance has seen an upward trend. Men in Blue recently completed their hat-trick of series victories winning CT 2013, tri-series in West Indies and bilateral series in Zimbabwe on the trot. More importantly, it all happened away from the comfort of their home with youngsters playing a significant role.
Initial success is a good indicator of their talent but they still need to learn a lot many things. Besides that, Indian team as a whole need to improve in some areas. For instance, Rohit Sharma isn’t lending security to the team’s top-order while opening the innings. To orchestrate a successful campaign in defence of their title, India need an opener who can provide stability against two new balls.
India are scheduled to play in Adelaide, Melbourne, twice in Perth, Hamilton and Auckland during the group stage. Except Adelaide, which is comparatively favourable to batsmen, all other places are known for supporting pacers. Pace-friendly conditions have always been a cause of concern for India but their recent show in England should instill some self-belief in them.
On the other side, good show by Indian pace battery in the past few months should be a welcome sign. Here, Bhuvneshwar Kumar deserves a special mention for his wicket-taking ability with the new ball. Along with him, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma have ensured that the opposition don’t enjoy a comfortable time in the middle. But death-over bowling is still a concern and, with new field restrictions in place, Dhoni quickly needs to mark bowlers who can take team through the last 10 overs with minimum damage. It will be team India’s best chance to enter into record books as only the third team after Australia (3) and West Indies (2) in the history of World Cup to have defended their title.