Team India caught in a web of worries: an over-zealous middle order to a non-dependable attack.
The big matches against England and South Africa, that went all the way to the wire, have shown India's ICC Cricket World Cup journey so far as a roller-coaster ride of less joy and more despair.
There were questions about India's attitude after less than convincing wins against Ireland and the Netherlands, but the defeat against South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday night has left even skipper MS Dhoni wondering whether Team India is resting on its oars.
The manner in which the wickets fell in a heap after Virender Sehwag's exit reflected India's brittle middle-order. It cannot even be called an aberration as this is becoming a dangerous pattern. Incredibly, India lost their last nine wickets for 29 runs!
Dhoni sounded helpless in the post-match chat with Ravi Shastri. "Our batsmen are playing for the galleries, not for India," he said. It was a telling statement on a much-vaunted batting line-up that has so far run hot and cold in the tournament. The captain, too, has done precious little to demonstrate purpose of intent.
Most of the batsmen fell playing glamorous shots. It was not even a desperate situation which warranted such fancy batting. Sachin Tendulkar, who recorded his 99th international century and 48th ODI ton and Virender Sehwag, who slammed 73 off 66 balls, had powered India to a resounding 267 for one. What happened next was both swift and strange, an unexplainable phenomenon. India, after Sehwag's exit, slipped on a banana skin, which didn't exist till the 40th over.
If India have to win matches, their bowlers must deliver. After lying low for a few games, Harbhajan Singh came to the party against the Africans only to see his efforts go waste by a senior colleague - Ashish Nehra - who lost his line and length in the most decisive over at Jamtha. Why didn't Bhajji show his willingness to bowl the last over? Why did Dhoni not call upon his most aggressive general, the Turbanator?
If Dhoni is going to struggle with his team mathematics, then there is a cause for concern. Ahead of the Nagpur game, Captain Cool was angry with the media who wanted to understand his penchant for backing young leggie Piyush Chawla. On a turning track at Jamtha, Chawla was replaced by a pacer, Munaf Patel! Two wrongs certainly didn't make a right.
Belief is one thing, execution is another. So to assume Ravichandran Aswin will perform straightaway in a game is probably asking for too much. Aswin surely has the ability and unlike a few upstarts in Team India, is a thinking cricketer. Probably, Aswin will play at his home ground when India take on the unpredictable West Indies next at the Chepauk.
Nehra's stingless last over against South Africa has quietly taken the spotlight away from a hitherto non-performing Yusuf Pathan. The only ‘pure' allrounder in the squad has contributed little so far. There must be a purpose of his usage. If the intention to promote him up the batting order was to gain quick runs, batsmen will always chance their arm. So why is Dhoni complaining of playing to the galleries?
Thankfully, the World Cup has a lot of punching bags and passage to the quarterfinals for teams like India and Australia, who are taken almost for granted. It's the method how to traverse that path.
