Go India Go

And here is wishing Rahul Dravid’s team all the very best in bringing home the cup.

India has got the team to do it.

3 months back, the Indian ODI team was extremely weak.

India lost to South Africa 4-0.

If rain hadn’t washed out one of the matches, it would have been 5-0.

So what has changed since then?

A slight change in the batting order, an ODI master making a comeback, and one of the best ODI batsmen back in the team after an injury layoff coupled with the booting out of a couple of passengers from the team.

India’s bowlers did pretty well in South Africa.

It was the batting which kept letting the team down.

India needed a strong middle order.

With Sachin opening the innings, India could never have achieved that.

Thankfully Sachin will bat in the middle order during the World Cup.

Sourav opening the innings, Sachin in the middle order, Yuvraj to come after him and we have got a totally different team from the one which played in South Africa where the middle order was manned by Kaif and Dinesh Mongia.

India has the strongest batting line up in the tournament.

With 3 batsmen having scored 10,000 plus runs at an average of 40 plus, if India don’t come back with the cup, it will be hugely diappointing.

Batting alone cannot win you matches.

In the experienced Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan and the Indian Mcgrath - Munaf, India has the necessary firepower in the bowling department too.

India is not as pathetic a fielding side as being made out.

Yuvraj will be ably supported in the in-field by Tiger Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa.

Agarkar is one of the best out-fielders in the world.

But problem areas do exist - bowling at the death and 2-3 slow movers in the field.

But this Indian team has enough strengths that outweigh the weaknesses.

This is the best Indian team for a world cup since 1987.

Go India go…