[harishankar]

As the World Cup draws nearer and the battle lines are drawn for all the sides, there are several selection and team combination issues that will be widely discussed in almost every major Test playing nation. The issues become all the more important for teams not blessed with genuine and quality all-round talent.

Experience and past performance versus fresh talent?

As far as India is concerned, I personally think that we need to look ahead instead of going back to tried and tested cricketers. For far too long, the Indian selectors have been caught half-way between a youth policy and going back to "experience" which sometimes is of dubious value. When it comes a a mega-tournament like the World Cup, I firmly believe that neither youth nor experience is a major factor. Instead, it's how these individual players fit into the scheme of things that really matter.

Current form and fitness should definitely take precedence over considerations of past achievements, particularly in the case of players who have been out of form for long periods of time. Will the selectors take calculated risks to sideline non-performing talent in favour of fresh achievers or continue gambling with the tried-and-tested failures? The answer to this question will definitely play a role in determining the outcome of the World Cup.

Multi-talented players or specialists?

Another issue that constantly re-surfaces is the issue of whether all-rounders should be preferred over specialists, particularly when the "specialists" lack agility on the field. The case of VVS Laxman quickly comes to mind. As a batsman, he's quite fantastic and yet, when it comes to ODIs he's rarely been a contender against the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif and even Suresh Raina. There can be no doubt that at least in the case of Kaif and Raina, they cannot even be compared with VVS Laxman when it comes to batting talent. But when it comes to the overall context of ODI games where mobility on the field is an important factor and the pace of running between the wickets takes precedence over style and grace, Laxman loses out badly in this score.

The lesson here is that specialists definitely have an important role in World Cups. And at the same time, it's important not to have lengthy tails which will weaken a side's batting. The key is that, there needs to be at least one batsman who can bowl and one bowler who can bat decently in every side. Otherwise it will be pretty hard to find the right balance. For instance, will India go back to Irfan Pathan or will we try out somebody like Romesh Powar who can bowl spin pretty decently and bat as well?

Bowling combinations

The bowling combination of every team will play a key role in determining the outcome of the World Cup. While almost every major team has at least one match-winning bowler in their side, the important factor will remain the backup bowling, particularly when teams field 4 bowlers and 1 all-rounder (or a batsman who can bowl). It is here that a team like India will really have to manage their key resources well and find the right balance of attack and defence, because a team without an all-rounder cannot afford 5 bowlers.

Again, the question of seam versus spin will also be a major decision for most teams. Of course, teams like South Africa will not have a problem, since they lack quality spinners in any case, but the subcontinent teams, particularly India and Pakistan will have to pick their combination wisely.

I would personally advocate 2 seamers and 2 spinners with either a seam-bowling or spin-bowling all-rounder in the side. If India plays Saurav Ganguly, he could be called on to bowl, but his medium pace has really deteriorated with age and cannot really be expected to bowl 10 overs. If Sachin and Sehwag play, they can double up as the fifth bowler and bowl ten overs between them. The question is, will a team like India risk playing an extra all-rounder or stick with just 4 bowlers? I think that a spin-bowling all-rounder will definitely help on the slow, low wickets of the West Indies, but again, this decision will have to be taken keeping in mind the condition of the wicket.

Conclusion

The key decision for the major sides in this world cup will be the bowling combination given the nature of the wickets in the West Indies. Since high scores can be expected, it would be interesting to see whether teams will prefer an extra batsman or an extra bowler. I think that the extra batsman will be an advantage in the lower order - somebody who can lengthen the batting order and shorten the tail, as such a tournament will be more likely to be decided on batting strength and depth.

Nevertheless, as we draw closer to the World Cup, the battle lines are definitely drawn, the teams become more focussed and experimentation is slowly abandoned in favour of settling down with a set combination. In this background, Team India will need to go into the build-up to the tournament with as much momentum as possible. Experiment now or try and build a winning momentum at this stage? Hard decisions lie ahead for the selectors.

[barmyarmy]

The sort of high quality I expect from you after reading your blog
Hope to see more articles from you.

[Pak_cricketer]

The Extra batsman might solve India's problems. I beilieve that is the main reason why India were outdone by SA.

Quality article. Good read! Keep it up!

[tobes]

Great Article, pity the Indian selectors aren't looking on here

[harishankar]

Thanks for the appreciation, all

[aussie1st]

Excellent article, it was a good read. It definitely will be interesting seeing how the teams go about the extra batter or bowler case.