ICC Champions Trophy: The five Indian players to watch out for
The Indian team head in to the Champions Trophy as World Champions. Yet in foreign conditions and with an inexperienced squad, MS Dhoni will have to hand-pick and motivate his troops for two weeks.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: May 23, 2013 05:49 PM IST
Here are the top-5 players looking to build on World Cup success during the course of the Champions Trophy in England.
MS Dhoni: After leading India to the top prize in all formats: a Twenty20 World Championship (2007), a World Cup (2011) and the No.1 ranking in Tests (2009-10), Mahendra Singh Dhoni has the opportunity to lift an unprecedented third ICC trophy. But despite being the No.1 ranked ODI side in the world, the Indian team that Dhoni leads is inexperienced and in-transition, leaving Dhoni the senior statesman of the side.
The Indian skipper has played 6 Champions Trophy ties previously, scoring 89 runs in the four innings he has batted in. The record may be modest but Dhoni is widely credited as one of the most dangerous limited-overs' players.
In 219 One-day internationals, Dhoni has smashed 7259 runs with best of 183*. His average - 51.85.
Dhoni has an exciting squad at his disposal, with match fitness not a concern with each of his players having taken part in the Indian Premier League. However India have an extremely poor overseas record in the recent past, that could be a psychological blow.
India's performances will depend on Dhoni's late bursts with the bat. But more importantly MS will need to marshal his troops against seven of the world's best cricketing sides.
Virat Kohli: India's most consistent One-day International player since his debut in 2008, Viart Kohli is well on his way to breaking records and gathering silverware. At just 24 years of age, Kohli finds himself as one of the most experienced members of the team - with only 4 members of the World Cup winning squad currently part of the ODI setup.
In 98 ODI matches, Kohli has a staggering 4054 runs, at an average of just under 50. Apart from his obvious stroke-playing ability all around the wicket, Kohli has a solid defensive technique. From a pugnacious youngster, he has developed in to India's most dependable middle-order batsman.
With no glaring flaw in his batting technique, the swing-and-seam conditions in England should not faze Kohli. He has played the Champions Trophy previously, performing admirably with the bat in the 2009 edition.
Kohli will have to bear the burden of experience at a relatively young age. Yet, if the past in any indication, challenges do not faze him - they just make him perform better.
Suresh Raina: Apart from Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, the one man who revolutionized ODI cricket in India was Yuvraj Singh. But cancer struck, and after a fighting recovery Yuvraj has failed to discover the form that set him apart. His role in the ODI playing XI has now fallen to Suresh Raina, and the Champions Trophy will be his first real test.
Raina is not inexperienced though, having played the last two editions of this tournament, with a meager 78 runs in six games. Heading in to England, Raina will be looking to set right the many wrongs from his last visit here. The 26-year-olds' lack of skill against pace, seam and swing were brutally exposed during the 2011 tour.
With 158 ODIs under his belt one would have expected Raina to have cemented his spot. But despite his 4068 runs, an average of 37 is not nearly good enough for a player of his talent and caliber. One has to hope that Raina's best is yet to come for the Men in Blue.
At his best Suresh Raina is a match-winner. At his worst, Raina can be excruciatingly frustrating. The 2013 Champions Trophy and its testing pitches in England could be make-or-break for Raina.
Bhuveshwar Kumar: Often criticized for having a weak bowling attack and a strong batting line-swing, India seem to have finally found a swing bowler with the talent and temperament to make in big on the international stage.
Making his debut in December 2012, Bhuveshwar Kumar was a handful for the Pakistanis and then the English on non-responsive pitches in India. It is a mouth watering prospect to think of the purchase he can get in English conditions.
Like his predecessors Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar, Bhuvi can swing the ball both ways although he has been rather less effective with the old ball. India skipper MS Dhoni has recognized this and tends to give Bhuvneshwar long spells with the new cherry. But, compared to Munaf and Praveen, Bhuvneshwar has the cleanest action and a calmer head.
The 23-year-old is in for the biggest test of his fledgling career when he embarks on his first tour abroad. The 2013 Champions Trophy could be the coming of age for Bhuvneshwar Kumar in international cricket.
Umesh Yadav: If it were not for constant injuries, Umesh Yadav would have surely ranked as one of the best fast bowlers currently on the cricketing circuit. At 25 years of age, Umesh has by no means hit his peak, and one can only hope that this genuine quick does not fall by the wayside.
Yadav only decided upon a career in cricket at the age of 19 - when most young cricketers are gunning towards an India cap. With his natural talent and express pace, his rise was meteoric. Fast-tracked in to an Indian team lacking pace options Umesh is still an X-factor as opposed to a permanent fixture in the playing XI.
Constantly bowling at above 140 kmph and with the ability to swing the ball both ways, Umesh will be a handful for batsmen in English conditions. Like all pace bowlers Umesh too will go for plenty of runs, but his wicket taking prowess more than makes up.
Recently married, the boy from Nagpur will hope that a marital life will translate in to on-field success as well.
For a long time India has bemoaned the absence of a genuine pace option. Now they have Umesh Yadav, who - without exertion and exhaustion - is among the fastest in the world.