    
Blazewada
Bewarse Legend
Username: Blazewada
Post Number: 14723
Registered: 08-2008
Posted From: 202.124.30.8
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 01, 2011 - 12:33 am: |
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New Delhi: While India's batting lineup automatically pick themselves for the World Cup final on Saturday, there is going to be some debate about the bowling combination, especially with the Wankhede curator saying on Thursday that the wicket will be a slow turner.
Even though Ashish Nehra more than redeemded himself against Pakistan at Mohali after a match-surrendering effort against South Africa in the league game, there will be enough calls to bring in spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has bowled with a lot of intent and should even be credited for allowing Harbhajan Singh to come into his own by giving him some solid support from the other end.
If there's one major positive that emerged from the semifinal win, it is the fact that India's bowlers have finally begun to look like a unit and hunt in a pack. Each of the five bowlers used in the game against Pakistan picked up two wickets each. And while one logic dictates that a winning combination should not be disturbed, the other says that horses must be picked according to the courses.
India's bowling has come in for much flak right through the World Cup. The unavailability of Praveen Kumar just before the start of the tournament exposed the chinks in the armoury. While India replaced Praveen with S Sreesanth, the pacer who played just the first game, didn't look impressive at all. While Sreesanth never got to play another game, skipper MS Dhoni persisted with yet another unimpressive bowler, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.
Despite many logical discussions trying to justify his selection to the playing XI, Chawla just couldn't turn it on for India. And while he got game after game in a failed bid to prove his captain's call, Ashwin waited agonisingly in the pavilion, itching to get on to the field. Experts said that two off-spinners could not be played, but that logic was torn to shreds the moment India decided to play the two in tandem.
The results were there for everyone to see. Ashwin attacked from the word go. Harbhajan, who had been dealt with a lot of respect by all batsmen, also began to bowl with his tail up knowing full well that the other end was tied up nicely and the batsmen will now have to take chances against him to score their runs. The wicketless yet economical Bhajji then begun to pick up wickets.
Zaheer Khan undoubtedly has been the star bowler for India. After Anil Kumble, it is Zaheer who has become India's go-to man. If something is happening, go to Zak. If something is not happening, go to Zak. The pacer, who was taken to the cleaners in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia, is now a mature bowler who knows how to bowl according to the occasion and yet again he holds the key to India's bowling fortunes at the Wankhede.
India's fifth-bowler conundrum is visibly well settled with the success enjoyed by Yuvraj Singh in this World Cup. He has been the man of the match on four occasions for India this World Cup and has starred with the ball in games where India's frontline bowlers struggled to get the breakthroughs.
With the promise of spraying the chemical APSA-80 on the Wankhede outfield to negate the dew factor that tilts the game in the favour of the chasing team, it is even more imperative that India choose its bowling combination carefully.
The Lankans are good players of spin and it is the variation in speed and length that will be the key to bowling on that track. Munaf Patel has right through the tournament shown improvement and his second spell in the game against Pakistan on Wednesday was a class apart. Thankfully, he has also been able to keep himself relatively fit through the tournament.
The Indian think-tank has a tough call to make. But right now it does seem that Zaheer, Munaf, Ashwin, Harbhajan and Yuvraj make for the best combination for what should be the biggest night for Indian cricket since 1983.
సర్వధారి నామ సంవత్సర శుభాకాంక్షలు 
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