India have made a terrific beginning to their World Cup
campaign, winning all their three encounters comfortably, and having easily
dispatched top opposition in Pakistan and title favourites South Africa. The
bowling and fielding have been in top shape and have augmented our explosive
batting power.
India next face West Indies and would like to carry forward
the momentum. Let us analyse the keys to India’s success in that encounter.
Chris Gayle factor
Chris Gayle is the key player in the West Indies squad.
Whenever he gets going, West Indies are able to post a good total and become a
more competitive team. He has just scored 215 in the World Cup encounter
against Zimbabwe and looks in great form.
India need to prevent him from scoring big. In the past, Ravichandran
Ashwin has had good success against him. If Indian quicks fail to get him out
early, MS Dhoni must bring in Ashwin early to get the danger man out. If India
can get Gayle early, it will be half the battle won.
Weakness of West
Indian batsmen against spin
Most West Indies batsmen are power hitters and quite capable
of scoring quick. However they are vulnerable to high class spin bowling. West
Indies on their last tour of India struggled against the Indian spinners,
albeit on spin friendly tracks.
Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja must bowl well an dput them under
pressure. Most often, these two would be bowling bulk of the middle overs. If
they can choke the West Indies’ batsmen in the middle overs, it can help India
gain the upper hand.
Good start against
the West Indian quicks
The West Indies fast bowling attack has some firepower, with
Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and company all capable of hitting 90 mph. India’s
opening batsmen need to deal with them judiciously and ensure a good start to
the innings.
The last few matches saw India getting a good start to their
innings, not losing many wickets in the first few overs. It enabled them to lay
a platform on which the innings was built. India would need their opening
batsmen to carry on the good work against West Indies.
Fielding like Rabbits
Indian players have put up an impressive fielding display so
far in the tournament. In the match against South Africa, the fast bowlers
effected two crucial run outs which sealed the affair for India. The fielders
have also saved runs in the field, while the catching also has been world
class.
If India can keep up their fielding standards going ahead,
they will be a tough team to beat for any other side in this competition. They
must keep up this standard in the West Indies encounter too. Going ahead, it
may prove to be a vital cog in their World Cup defense.
