Mission World Cup 2015: An open letter to Ravi Shastri in language he understands the best
Dear Ravi,
NAMASKAAAARA! The news from the centre is that you are going to remain the director of the Indian cricket team till the 2015 World Cup, and this cannot be more sweetly timed. You now have the license to guide Team India who are looking good to defend their title.
But what we don't want at this stage is Virat Kohli’s loss of form. It's funny how in cricket, one series can change his game completely. The England series was a nightmare both for him and his fans. 'Edgedddd and taken’ had become his favourite form of dismissal. Yesterday’s innings, though, was brilliant and will do his confidence a world of good. The fortunes of the Indian team will depend on how the star batsman performs since he will be playing the sheet anchor role for the team.
The form of the openers is also a cause of worry because their graph in the last few matches hasn't been taking the aerial route. Shikhar Dhawan’s form is a bit of a concern for the team, as his presence till the end of the innings would mean that India would be having a cracker of a game. Ajinkya Rahane, on the other hand, is a cool customer, who is getting the starts but not converting them into big scores. Rohit Sharma – recovering from a finger injury sustained during the ODI leg of the England tour – is expected to be back soon, and one just gets the feeling that he would be better off in the middle order than as an opener.
He is also a clean striker of the ball who can accelerate the run-rate when required. The World Cup is less than 4 months away, and we do not want the umpire's finger to go up too frequently when the top order is batting. With your valuable instructions, hopefully, the top order batsmen will know that they can’t throw the kitchen sink during their time at the crease, keeping wickets in hand for the finishers to take over.
However, Suresh Raina's form is just what the doctor ordered for the ‘men in blue’. He has learnt to deal with both the odd balls that keep low and the short pitch deliveries. The southpaw exactly knows what he is doing, and the gut feel no more says he is gone when up against a barrage of bouncers. While MS Dhoni is still dealing in boundaries, sending the ball to the stands like a tracer bullet, Ravindra Jadeja has also got back his form with the bat. He is given it the full monty by proving himself in the last few matches for the team. The all-rounder from Saurashtra is slowly donning the role of a finisher, which is going to help the team in the long run.
In pressure games, it is good to put runs on the board, but the team's bowling is a cause of concern for Dhoni. The bowling – especially at the death – is very poor, and, barring Mohammed Shami, the bowlers have looked ordinary. Bhuvneshwar Kumar looks good in his opening spells, but he needs to get into the habit of picking up early wickets. The spinners are being dealt easily in singles by the opposition batsmen and are not looking dangerous. In a big tournament like the World Cup, we ought to play with our full strength and do not want to take any half measures. It is important for India to outperform their competitors in all the three departments of the game in order to reach the final glory.
The competition is going to be tough this time with most of the games expected to go down to the wire. Though all the three results (read: winning the crown, bowing out early, fighting till last) are possible, we hope – at the end of the tournament – India is the real winner.
Yours sincerely,
A spectator from the electrifying atmosphere in the stadium