A quartet of India`s golden generation of cricketers will aim for glory in West
Indies in what is expected to be their last World Cup.
The game`s ultimate prize is still missing from the trophy
cabinets of stalwarts Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav
Ganguly and Anil Kumble.
Leg-spinner Kumble (36), India`s most successful bowler, skipper
Dravid and fellow batsmen Ganguly (both 34) and Tendulkar (33) have displayed
their class for more than a decade and the next edition in 2011 could be a bridge
too far.
Tendulkar, who will play in his fifth World Cup, holds the
records for most one-day runs (14,783), hundreds (41) and caps (381). Ganguly
and Dravid are also among only six players to aggregate more than 10,000 one-day
runs.
On pitches expected to help batsmen, India can hope to make amends after champions
Australia thrashed the 1983 champions by 125 runs in the 2003 final in South
Africa.
Form slump
However, India face questions over their fielding, the poor
form of explosive batsman Virender Sehwag and 22-year-old seamer Irfan
Pathan and the team`s slump before they won the recent home series against
West Indies and Sri Lanka on batting tracks.
Sehwag has managed one fifty in 13 innings since May last year.
Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has urged the instinctive player to show
focus and preserve his wicket.
Pathan was emerging as coach Greg Chappell`s trump card
with batting heroics up the order to help India claim a record 17 successive
wins chasing a target in 2006.
However, his bowling form has deserted him since the West Indies
tour in May-July and the management, in an unprecedented move, sent him home
from South Africa late last year asking him to regain his form in domestic
tournaments.
However, he played just one game in the twin one-day series at home complaining
of shoulder strain.
Key middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh has only just
returned after he tore knee ligaments in October while Ajit Agakar, the
most capped seamer in the side, has a history of breaking down.
The team management could also face a dilemma over Kumble --
who has rarely played one-dayers since 2003 -- with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh
holding the edge if only one specialist spinner is fielded for key games.
However, India can breathe easy over two comeback men.
Former skipper Ganguly and left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan have
looked in fine touch since making strong comebacks late in 2006 after being
sacked last February over form and fitness.
A window of opportunity has also opened following Australia`s
sudden form dip following defeats to England and New Zealand.
Dravid has urged his players to show consistency and feels his team are capable
repeating their 2003 run when they overcame a sluggish start to reach the final.
Millions of fickle Indian fans will hope their sporting idols
would finally end their 24-year wait for success
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