With bowling mainstay Ishant Sharma ruled out of the 4th Test at Old Trafford and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar complaining of fatigue, India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has limited bowling options at his disposal and problems aplenty, writes Chandresh Narayanan.
Watch Abhishek Mande and Chandresh Narayanan analyse the match on The Rediff Cricket Show.
The tri-series in Australia, India's final ODI engagement before the World Cup, gets underway on January 16, says Chandresh Narayanan, casting a fascinating look at the survivors from earlier World Cups.
'It is easy to criticise the fast bowlers, but do they have the support they need to grow as bowlers? No!'
The Aussie series of 1985-1986 will remain a missed opportunity for Indian cricket. But it is least talked about despite all the high points in the series.
'Before Shastri's induction, things were sketchy and it was not known who was responsible for taking cricketing decisions around the team. The selectors chose a squad of players, the captain ran the show on the field and the coaches helped draft plans, or sort of tried to. There needed to be one man who could coordinate all elements around the squad -- someone who had the backing of the Board, the respect of the players and that of the support staff.'
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq tells Chandresh Narayanan that his team will break the jinx that has haunted them in five of the last six editions when they take on India in their World Cup opener on February 15.
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