Does Team India have the ammunition to win the T20 World Cup?

No team has won the T20 World Cup more than once and can the men in blue become the first team to achieve this feat and answer the fervent prayers of billion Indians?

Obviously, it doesn’t need a rocket scientist to figure out that the Indian team appears imperious in sub-continental conditions, and the staging of the marquee event in Sri Lanka only lulls me into thinking that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men have to be one of the favorites on this front alone.

As I delve deeper, I wonder whether only familiar playing conditions (sub-continental conditions) and formidable batting line-up are enough to secure the passport to ‘glory’.

On umpteen occasions, we have heard this; and surely we have not heard the last of it! India possessing one of the world’s best batting line-ups almost sounds like a tedious one-liner, given its overuse in public domain over the years.

We have an opener Virender Sehwag, who loves to take the bulls by its horns and pummel the opposition into submission. The hassle with him is that he is becoming a bit of a ‘cameo master’ in recent times and often exudes a false confidence about shouldering more responsibility and using his head to bat deep in the innings.

The damaging impact Viru has on its opponents when he fires on all cylinders is known to us but I want to ask one question? How many times has Sehwag got the 70s, 80s, 90s in the shorter version? Even for a format like T20 it is imperative for a top-order batsman to score the 70s, 80s and 90s, if not a hundred to help the team post an imposing total, if batting first, or while chasing down a tall target.

Viru has been guilty of chucking it away when he has the bowlers at his mercy – something which is becoming a regular sight these days. Gautam Gambhir has also fallen prey to the ‘inconsistent syndrome’, though it has to be said that the southpaw at least tries to drop anchor if not on a consistent basis.

There is enormous pressure on Virat Kohli – who is in the form of his life – to bail out his side day in day out because our openers haven’t quite been able to stamp their authority, given their combined rich experience on the big stage.

You got to understand that one Virat Kohli cannot alone lift our batting department in its pursuit of glory. There has to be guys who should be ready to play the support cast roles around Virat, allowing him the leeway to play his natural game.

The immensely talented Rohit Sharma thankfully announced his return to ‘form’ in the practice game against Pakistan after enduring a dreadful run off late. But knowing Rohit’s propensity to ‘flirt’ with ‘inconsistency’, one is not sure whether his effort against Pakistan was just a flash in the pan.

Suresh Raina has been doing exceedingly well in the ODIs in the last few months and with the comeback man Yuvraj Singh in the fold, one hopes our middle-order wears a settled look. Yuvraj, in particular, would be itching to have another impressive run on the World Cup stage after a prolonged battle with cancer. His heroics at the 2011 World Cup (50 overs format) are well documented and this time around Yuvi would be extra motivated to cap off a successful comeback.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be better off not leaving things to the final over. The Chennai T20 defeat against New Zealand must have enhanced the number of Dhoni-bashers, but to be honest, one would expect Mahi to learn from that defeat and put in place better game-plans to counter such situations in future. Surely, we had enough of last-ball wins and Mr. Dhoni, we don’t need any more of that please!

The biggest selection headache for the team would be to play seven batsmen or five bowlers. Let’s face it; Dhoni seems comfortable with the idea of playing seven batsmen as it beefs up the batting department.

Playing seven batsmen implies that some of them have to double up as part-timers – the likes of Yuvraj, Rohit, Raina and Kohli – but such a strategy can backfire if the part-timers are taken to the cleaners and those ‘runs’ decide the fate of a match. Personally, I have also felt that if the number six batsman is not going to deliver, I don’t expect the seventh batsman to do any wonders.

What has become striking lately is that our part-timers haven’t been able to keep the opposition on a tight leash, which has given the India bowling a weak look. Here, I am no way to trying to pin the blame on the part-timers – after all, its a gamble that sometimes pays off and sometimes it doesn’t.

This is not to shield our front-line bowlers – Zaheer Khan has loads of experience and he needs to put that into play. In the T20 format, Zaheer hasn’t inspired much confidence in recent times. Even the likes of Lakshmipathy Balaji, Ashok Dinda and Irfan Pathan would also have to come up with the goods because it’s only teams having penetrating bowling attacks, who would be the favorites to win the T20 World Cup.

In the spin department, Ravichandran Ashwin is in fine fettle while another comeback man Harbhajan Singh would be keen to make a big impression and cement his spot in the national side via the T20 route and subsequently earn recalls to the Test and ODI teams. India’s famed batting department may run up towering totals but what’s the point if our bowlers keep leaking runs. It’s as simple as that.

Playing five bowlers would be a brave move on Dhoni’s part but at some point of time the Indian team management would have to explore such an option if the part-timers are clobbered. Talking of playing five bowlers automatically means Irfan Pathan has a big role to perform, not just with the ball but also with the bat.

To be fair to Pathan, he is a decent bat who can play the big shots and has pretty sound technique to weather the best of bowling attacks. Playing Pathan as an all-rounder would allow Dhoni to play three seamers and two spinners or even two seamers and three spinners, but knowing the Sri Lankan conditions he might be tempted to play two seamers and three spinners.

To top it all, India is an ageing side with as many as seven players in the 30-33 age bracket. India are also one of the slowest movers in the field as compared to most other top teams. A weak bowling attack and slackness in the field are two aspects India would look to cover up with their strengths, which is going to be a tough ask as the men in blue seek to pop the champagne on October 7!