Actually so many experiments are being done or you can say bowlers are being reshuffled so much that they are finding it hard to maintain their concentration. Beside, Dhoni is one of the best player around to guide bowlers in hard times. We seriously missed Dhoni in last two One Dayers against Australia.

Yes. But the reason Dhoni didn't play was because they wanted to give Pant some chance. And the way how Pant and KL Rahul making use of their chances. I don't think betting on them for big league matches would be a good idea. I just hope that Shami and Bhuvaneshwar get their form back and we don't have to always rely on bumrah to take wickets. 

suni51 wrote:

Actually so many experiments are being done or you can say bowlers are being reshuffled so much that they are finding it hard to maintain their concentration. Beside, Dhoni is one of the best player around to guide bowlers in hard times. We seriously missed Dhoni in last two One Dayers against Australia.

I second your observation. Dhoni is very much needed behind the stumps and as an informal captain during pressure situations which Virat cannot handle. Dhoni has upped his tempo in batting as well which is a very good sign. Even if India wins this world cup, the credit should be of Dhoni, Virat and Rohit, not Virat alone which the world knows. Virat has a long way to go to become a good captain. He might be generating results but he is not giving players the confidence or the time to get into their zone which is affecting the team performance. Disappointed with Kohli, the captain.

I think even after World Cup, dhoni does not have to retire immediately. He needs to be passing on the tactical approach to new generation. I am kind of worried about Rohit and Dhawan. I don't see them much beyond this world cup. It seems like they will play at the most 2 years till the new replacement is found. Who knows though, we can even see KL Rahul as replacement of Dhawan. 

Mahesh wrote:

I think even after World Cup, dhoni does not have to retire immediately. He needs to be passing on the tactical approach to new generation. I am kind of worried about Rohit and Dhawan. I don't see them much beyond this world cup. It seems like they will play at the most 2 years till the new replacement is found. Who knows though, we can even see KL Rahul as replacement of Dhawan. 

Ya, Dhoni is indeed a very valuable asset to the team, spinners and in the middle providing his calm approach.

Every person who used to criticize his approach of backing some players and not backing some, and his core team which was told that he was biased in selection will find some meaning in his tactics.

Yes, he used to back some players, but he gave big results with his core team by winning T20 World Cup 2007, 2011 World Cup, Champions Trophy 2013.

Dhoni should play till he feels good about his playing, though I don't think he will continue for more than 2 years.

Rohit is a good captain, but he has to improve himself in batting, as for Dhawan, I think KL is an able replacement, provided he works on his weaknesses. Even if he does not, I think he is better than Dhawan as he can score more runs than Dhawan with ease.

Mahesh wrote:

Yes. But the reason Dhoni didn't play was because they wanted to give Pant some chance. And the way how Pant and KL Rahul making use of their chances. I don't think betting on them for big league matches would be a good idea. I just hope that Shami and Bhuvaneshwar get their form back and we don't have to always rely on bumrah to take wickets. 

I think Shami played well, except for the ODI in which dew made its impact. Bhuvneshwar needs to find his groove and I hope warm up games will give him his swing and accuracy mojo back.

Currently Shami has court orders and he is supposed to attend the court for the family issues. I think on that note, I'd be pretty concerned about his World Cup involvement. I also think that KL Rahul needs to work on the off guard on how he plays Aussie and other bowlers. He seems to be easy target for in-swing bowls. And there are bowlers who can get through his weakness. 

I also think that India should start finding the new spin bowlers. I don't think washington sundar is a good bowler worth using in near future. He is good enough for IPL only. 

Another thing that concerns me is the fielding. Pretty bad shape we are in that context. 

Mahesh wrote:

Currently Shami has court orders and he is supposed to attend the court for the family issues. I think on that note, I'd be pretty concerned about his World Cup involvement. I also think that KL Rahul needs to work on the off guard on how he plays Aussie and other bowlers. He seems to be easy target for in-swing bowls. And there are bowlers who can get through his weakness. 

I also think that India should start finding the new spin bowlers. I don't think washington sundar is a good bowler worth using in near future. He is good enough for IPL only. 

Another thing that concerns me is the fielding. Pretty bad shape we are in that context. 

Very true, Shami's presence may not be certain in some matches. Hope Bhuvi finds his line, length and accuracy which went for a toss in the recently concluded series. Krunal could be a good bet in terms of spin bowling all rounder.

Mayank Markande is there but he doesn't have experience. Washington sundar looks a good bowler in T20 as you have mentioned, but can blossom if given good chances, that however should be after world cup.

I think we had couple of off days in the fielding department and I am backing them to bring their best in the world cup.

Mayank markende is a good talent but would take 2 or so years to mature. And the worst thing is that ODI and T20 is something it may need to work as well. After the Australia series, I am kind of skeptical about how it may end for us. We really need better bowlers something like X factor. Because current set of bowlers are kind of gives me doubts. 

I think Krunal and Hardik, both should be played. They lend balance to the side. I hope Hardik converts his full potential into action this world cup. If he is intense, he can produce some excellent results, both with bat and ball as evidenced in the match played after the Koffee with Karan episode. He looks a different player when provoked or put up a challenge to.

2015 World cup, Dhoni managed his resources well. India were not having the players and nobody expected India to go till semi finals, however Dhoni, being the cool master that he is, made it possible. But on the other hand, despite Virat getting some star players could not build them completely till this world cup. Take the case of Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, none of them realised their potential yet and in fact, Raina and Rahane lost their potential under Virat due to his constant chop and change.

Hope Virat, Rohit & Dhoni together will bring some much needed momentum with their captaincy skills and experience.