Can India Defend the World Cup? The Jury is Out

With less than a week to go for the World Cup, the Indian team finds itself standing in the witness box in the court of law of the Indian cricket fan, with multiple charges leveled against them. (Dhoni Keen on Identifying Playing XI Before World Cup)

Charge 1: India are in poor form.

Verdict: Guilty (They haven't won a single game since arriving in Australia three months ago)

Charge 2: India's bowling is dreadful. (India's Bowlers Lack Confidence, Says Gavaskar)

Verdict: Guilty (There is a reason why not a single Indian features in top 10 of the ODI bowler's rankings. The only other Test playing nations not to have a top 10 ranked ODI bowler are New Zealand & Zimbabwe)

Charge 3: Indian batting is inexperienced. (Kohli Key to India's World Cup Defence, Says Kirsten)

Verdict: Guilty (Only 3 batsmen in the current squad have played a World Cup before. And not a single Indian batsman has 300 world cup runs to his name)

Charge 4: The conditions in Australia don't favour India.

Verdict: Guilty (The pitches tend to render the finger spinner ineffective. The batsmen have struggled on the fast & bouncy conditions for time immemorial and the big boundaries don't help, either the Indian batsmen or the fielders)

Charge 5: India have robbed themselves of chance to retain the World Cup.

Verdict: Innocent until proven Guilty

Because the Defence argues:

Record in ICC tournaments

The current Indian team under MS Dhoni does have an enviable record in ICC tournaments. In the three ICC tournaments they've played in the last three years, they've lost just two games, one of which was a final. Which is why the Indian skipper, someone who doesn't have a reputation of indulging in hyperbole, had this to say at the start of the World Cup, "If you see the past they are quite a few teams that do well in ICC tournaments. They may not do well in bilateral series but always step up in ICC tournaments. When we played the ICC champions trophy we were in a similar situation, but the guys stepped up. That is what is important in ICC tournaments"

Dhoni's team echoes their captain's sentiments. Rohit Sharma responded to his skipper's statement saying "Yes i agree (with Dhoni). In ICC tournaments luck plays an important part, especially knockouts. Pressure plays a huge part too. How each team handles pressure is important. India has done that (handle pressure) well in the past."

Format

The scars of the 2007 World Cup, a tournament that saw India and Pakistan knocked out in round one, still seem fresh in the minds of the ICC. The result has been, that both the 2011 & 2015 World Cups were designed in such a way that the top eight teams are guaranteed a spot in the quarters, barring an upset of gigantic proportions. And the soft format hasn't escaped the attention of the Indian team.

"It is important how you play the knockouts. You need to just play 3 good games and you win the tournament. Remember, we have done well in ICC Champions trophy and didn't lose a single game. We have the best fielding unit in this world cup and we will surprise a few teams" Suresh Raina said on Saturday.

As things stand, all India needs to do is to beat UAE, Ireland & Zimbabwe and they make the knockouts. In fact, a closer look at India's group suggests they should finish either first or second, poor results against Australia notwithstanding. Both West Indies and Pakistan have a depleted look to their squads and even though South Africa are being looked as serious title contenders, one mustn't forget that they lost 4-1 to Australia just three months ago and their recent ODI success has come against a hapless West Indian side. A first or second place in their group would mean India will face a relatively weaker opposition than Australia and New Zealand in their quarter-finals.

A world cup semi-final beckons for the men in blue.