India's to-do list

A lot has changed since MS Dhoni smashed that famous six off Nuwan Kulasekara to propel all of India into a frenzy on a breathless Mumbai night four years ago. Although he did not play a major role in the finals, the quote on everyone's lips as India won the ODI World Cup was "We did it for Sachin." Virat Kohli echoed the sentiments of every Indian who grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar when he pointed out that carrying him on their shoulders was the least the Indian team could have done for him after he'd been carrying them on his shoulders for more than 20 years. There were speeches, there were tears, there were celebrations. However, that turned out to be the happy ending for a lot of the players on the team in more ways than one.

The ephemeral nature of sport is truly reflected in the personnel changes that the Indian ODI team has experienced over the past four years. Of the XI that played in the final of the 2011 World Cup, only three are expected to feature against Pakistan on Feb 15. Sachin has retired from all formats and Virender Sehwag has all but followed his idol out of the game. Gautam Gambhir is a distant memory. Yuvraj Singh, India's best player of the 2011 World Cup, fought cancer before making a heart-warming comeback only to slowly fade away. The entire bowling attack has undergone a massive overhaul. To get a sense of how far the team has moved on, you only have to remember that the three fast(ish) bowlers that accompanied Harbhajan Singh in the final in 2011 were Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, and (drum roll) S Sreesanth!

Of the survivors, Suresh Raina will always be suspect on Australian pitches that offer bounce to bowlers who are willing to hit the deck. Although Dhoni retired from Test cricket in the middle of the series against Australia and sat out a Test through injury, he looks more jaded and in need of a break than most players who have been on tour. The grey hair growing around the captain's temples makes him seem a lot older than his years. Kohli too looks spent after his exertions in the Test series. Rohit Sharma and, to a certain extent, Ajinkya Rahane are the only ones in the squad who look fresh, in form, and ready for the challenge. While the situation for most Indian fans seems all doom and gloom, fear not! Let's try and look at a few things we can do to make the best of it.

Firstly, we need to learn from the English. No, I do not mean the English cricket team. In as much as we'd like Umesh Yadav to replicate the control and swing of Jimmy Anderson, that's just not about to happen in a hurry. I'm talking about the English cricket fans. Just like their football fans, their best and most endearing quality is an acute sense of realism and a coping mechanism built around dry humour and a generous pint of bitter ale (or three). They understand that while their team is unlikely to win the World Cup, they could still have a good time if they're able to find little victories. Travelling fans will enjoy the Antipodean summer and warm beaches, sing sardonic songs on the terraces and treat every wicket taken and run scored as a bonus. And given that India's World Cup prospects are even worse than England's, we could do no worse than to follow suit.

That is not to say that we shouldn't hope for our team to win the thing. Far from it. The format is such that it does not reward the best or the most consistent team at the end of the tournament. And that is a good thing! It only means that any team could pull off a 1992 Pakistan, do just enough to reach the knockouts and then hope for three good days. India's best chance of winning comes from a smash and grab approach. The XI just about picks itself: Shikhar Dhawan (due to lack of options), Rohit, Kohli, Rahane, Raina, Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar / Mohit Sharma, Yadav and Mohammed Shami.

Let's look at our matches, one by one:

India v Pakistan: This is one of those self-fulfilling prophecies of our time. Because we've never lost means we can't lose this one, right? Superstition and omens aside, however, Pakistan aren't at their best either and this is one match that we could seriously think of winning. Plus, something about Pakistan brings out the best (or worst, depending on what side you're on) in Kohli. Three points and four years of bragging rights.

India v South Africa: I hate to be a negative Nelly on this, but we should assume that we are going to lose this one and move on. Let South Africa win every match in their group only to be beaten in the semi finals by New Zealand. The usual.

India v UAE: Win.

India v West Indies: Trickier than it looks on paper. The Windies may have their troubles and more infighting than Pakistan but given that India play them in Perth, this could turn out to be a challenge. India's best chance is to bat first, score a decent total and get Gayle early. This is one of those matches on which India's challenge rests.

India v Ireland: Given that Boyd Rankin has decided to join the English, Ireland don't have the serious pace and bounce to trouble India in Perth. This is the kind of match where Dhoni can pretend it's the subcontinent, unleash the spinners and enjoy the show.

India v Zimbabwe: They may have beaten Sri Lanka in the warm-ups, but this is still Zimbabwe. Please refer to UAE match note for instructions.

If the stars align, India actually have a chance of finishing No. 2 in the group. To give the team the best chance of proceeding to the semis, we need things to conspire in the other group so that Sri Lanka end up being the opponent for the quarter finals. I, for one, will be watching the England v Sri Lanka game with utmost interest since it seems to be key to determining the 3rd and 4th place teams in the other group. Once it gets to the semis, it's time for Dhoni to channel his inner Imran Khan, hope that Kohli/Rohit/Rahane wake up on the right side of the bed and that by some miracle, India's bowlers manage to land enough balls in the proverbial 'right areas'.

So there you have it. I have put together this foolproof plan that I hope the Interwebs delivers to the Indian team. At this point, I feel like a war general who has done all the hard work of strategising and all that the team needs to do is the simple job of executing. Lady Luck has already started fluttering her eyelashes at the team if Ishant's injury is anything to go by. It's almost time to grab that ale, look for those minor victories and hope that Sir Jadeja proves each and every one of us wrong. Let the games begin!