How India Can Win The World Cup
By Murli

In one of the umpteen programmes on TV about India's world cup chances, Pakistan legend Wasim Akram put it bluntly when he said the major roadblock to our dream of winning the cup would be not so much our batting or bowling, but fielding. The world's best and simultaneously brittle batting lineup may score tons of runs, our much berated bowlers may force the experts to give credit where it is due, but eventually, there is no escaping the fact that Team India, for almost the entire stretch of the green, will be on tired legs. How many times are we going to ruefully remember that 'catches win matches"? That fielders can turn wicket takers by effecting a timely runout and thus influence the course of the match? That the team's off-balance sheet score card - the number of runs saved by reducing the twos into ones and the threes into twos - will make the difference between winning and losing in a close contest? These are questions for which there are frankly no answers. As Dravid confessed, his team will have to just go out there and overcome the TINA (There Is No Alternative) Factor, with more runs in the bank, and a consistently responsible bowling.

Apart from acknowledging that the cup is half empty and not half full, here are the contours of a winnable strategy:

• At the death: Ajit Agarkar is in as good form as he has ever been, but it's still a gamble to have him bowl at the death. For instance, in the last series against Windies, India almost lost the match when he gave away 12 runs at a crucial stage (it was the 47th over). Before he was given the ball, the asking rate was under 7 runs per over and after his over, it came down to a very gettable 5 runs per over. India won, but mainly due to the magic arm of Tendulkar. With his wicket taking ability, Agarkar can be more effective in the middle overs - a problem area for the team as we will be taking the field mostly with four regular bowlers and not five.

For the slog overs, Tendulkar or perhaps Sehwag can be handy - at any rate, as good or as bad as Agarkar.

• Do not tinker too much with the batting order: Paranoia, may be a virtue in business or management, but not in Indian cricket. Too much of chopping and changing of the batting lineup has been going on, all in the name of experimentation, multi-tasking, taking players out of their comfort zone, etc. All these sound swell and look like they are straight out of Harvard Business Review, but our boys need to learn what they don't teach at Harvard. In its anxiety to try something different, the team management has forgotten the virtues of a settled batting order. Just look at Australia, they don't do anything different as a rule - which indeed is rather surprising - and that's why the Haydens, the Gilchrists and Pontings are as stable and successful as they come.

• What's common between Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly? No prizes for guessing, this is their last world cup. If coach Greg Chappell is so fond of strategy games, he should use his savor faire to milk the most out of this historic occasion from Team India's Big 4. If India has to win the world cup, it cannot be with a small contribution from this gang. The big boys should understand this, and deliver big, for it doesn't get bigger than this in cricket. Here's a tip: Let them play like it is their last game.

• Play to win: It sounds like a horribly worn out cliché, but it's the secret of all big-time winners. India has a reputation of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory - the latest example is the second one-dayer against Sri Lanka. We needed 20-odd runs from 5 overs, with 5 wickets in hand, and lost it. Reason: Because under pressure, Dhoni and Karthik played a little too carefully and left too much to the end. To perform in a pressure-cooker situation is easier said than done, but we need to change our mindset - fast. By believing that we have it in us to overcome, and by not fearful of losing - or for that matter winning. By playing to win, we may end up losing, but that doesn't mean we have to play to lose! With a little bit of luck (and fortune favours the brave, not the weak), we may lose some, and win big.

• The tail should learn to wag: It's a curious paradox. The contribution with the bat of number 8 to 11 has been generally poor, but in terms of potential they can do much better. Ajit Agarkar continues to be described as a bowling all-rounder, while Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan have the capacity to use the long handle. It's time the three are given more responsibility and asked to deliver with the bat as and when the need arises. The trio should manage to score among themselves at least 50 runs, if India has to succeed in posting challenging totals.