Is this the best team that India could have picked for the World Cuo? Barring the surprise selection of Piyush Chawla, the selectors have done the predictable in picking the combination with the most weight on current form. Chawla is the exception since he last played for the country in July 2008, against Pakistan.
Skipper Dhoni is the only specialist wicket-keeper in the squad that otherwise comprises seven batsmen and seven bowlers. Not carrying a second wicket-keeper could be a risky proposition given the number of times Dhoni has pulled out at the last minute owing to a bad back.
Four players — Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Praveen Kumar — who cut short their stays in South Africa for various injuries, were also named, the expectation clearly being that they will recover in time for the World Cup.
The schedule, however, is such that it is a relatively easy run for all teams in the first month with just six group matches. India have not played at full strength for a while in ODIs but with the event happening at home, the injuries should not come as a concern as reserve players can travel with the team in case their services are required at short notice.
The World Cup will swing into serious action only with the quarter-finals when in 11 hectic days the knock-outs will be held.
Tendulkar will be playing his record-equalling sixth World Cup while it will be the first time for six others, including off-spinner R. Ashwin who is the lone representative from South Zone. Ashish Nehra makes a return to World Cup cricket after missing the previous edition. Rohit Sharma and S. Sreesanth were notable omissions from the squad.
India, tipped as hot favourites, have made the semi-finals thrice and won it once in 1983 besides being runner-up in 2003. The campaign in West Indies in 2007 was one of the worst in recent history where they failed to advance to the second stage of the competition.