Cricket World Cup 2015: Batting a big issue with Team India

Most positions are falling in place. Some quarterfinal slots have been taken and others are in the process of being identified. I can sense the excitement because the race is to find a comparatively easy opposition in the first knockout match.

It is another matter that no team can be taken lightly once the World Cup enters the knockout phase. The league contests may have seen some predictable results but the element of surprise can always add to the thrill.

India has looked good so far. The victories against Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies have helped the team find the rhythm and also discover their strengths. Now they have to bring in consistency and I am sure Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead by example to make sure the team does not falter.

The trend in this World Cup has surprised me. There have been few nail-biting finishes. A total of 300-plus is not looking good to defend and the rules favouring batsmen have made the bowlers’ task tougher.

India will be moving to New Zealand to play their last two group matches. The conditions are going to present the team with new challenges. The length the bowlers need to bowl now shall be different. The bounce will be less in comparison and they have to pitch the ball up. The swing and seam factor comes into playmore in New Zealand and I am confident this Indian team will lose little time in accepting the responsibility.

The wickets in Hamilton and Auckland are not going to be the same as in Perth. If they do encounter some bounce, let the Indian bowlers not get carried away. We have a superb pace attack and the required repertoire to make an impact on the opposition.

I am not for once suggesting Ireland and Zimbabwe will be a cakewalk. The team can be complacent at their peril. I don’t want the team to exert themselves and end up with someone on the injured list. Maintaining supreme fitness is now paramount and any niggle at this stage can harm the team’s prospects.

India’s batting, particularly at the top, cannot afford to be slack. Rohit Sharma has not been at his best and this needs to be addressed immediately. He and Shikhar Dhawan have to dominate in the initial stages.

Rohit is tentative to deliveries outside the off-stump. He appears tense and loses his wicket when he should be looking to force the bowlers to think differently. I suspect Rohit sometimes does not know where his off-stump is. There is no harm in walking up to Sunil Gavaskar and seeking his advice.

To me, there is no better batsman than Gavaskar to teach how to face the new ball. But to do that, the youngsters will have to go to Gavaskar. He will not come on his own. Ravi Shastri can take the initiative and arrange a session for Rohit with Gavaskar.

The problem with the Indian batting has been inconsistency. No one doubts their caliber. Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin need to contribute consistently.