Bowling key for World Cup glory
India's batsmen ensured their side emerged victorious in Visakhapatnam, but they could not mask the insipid bowling display that allowed Australia steal 84 off the last five overs
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
India's batsmen ensured their side emerged victorious in Visakhapatnam, but they could not mask the insipid bowling display that allowed Australia steal 84 off the last five overs. Dileep Premachandran, in his Yahoo column, explains how eight of the nine World Cups have been won on bowling excellence rather than batting muscle. If India are to come on top in the 2011 event with their current bowling attack, they will have to reprise Sri Lanka's 1996 heroics, he says.
Could such an ill-balanced team carry off the big prize? As Sri Lanka showed in '96, it's not impossible. But unless Zaheer, Ishant and the rest improve dramatically over the coming months, the pressure on the batsmen will be huge. One bad game, like South Africa had against West Indies in '96, and the cherished dream will become a grisly nightmare.
Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo