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‘Needs to identify someone to lead the attack at the earliest’
‘Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems the best bet to lead the attack’
‘India batting looks the strongest of all the teams’
Former India pace spearhead Javagal Srinath has raised doubts about the team's bowling attack ahead of the upcoming ODI cricket World Cup though he has rated the defending champions' batting line-up as the strongest going into the showpiece event.
"India must sort out its bowling combinations and resources at the earliest. It needs someone to lead the attack and it needs to zero in on the bowlers who Dhoni and the team management believe will play in all the matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015," Srinath wrote in an ICC column.
‘India's bowling form will be thoroughly tested’
The 45-year-old Karnataka cricketer has played in three 50-over World Cups, from 1992 to the 2003 edition in South Africa.
"At this point, Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems the best bet to do that (lead the attack), unless Ishant Sharma finds his line and length and leads from the front. India's bowling form will be thoroughly tested during the tri-series preceding the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015," Srinath wrote.
"Midway through this tri-series, Dhoni should have decided what his first choice bowling attack will be for the duration of ICC's pinnacle event. There will be some experimentation early on, but by the time the tri-series is over, India should have its best 11 in place, the team it believes will take it all the way to the title," he added.
Among the spinners, Srinath said Ashwin is an "automatic choice" in the playing XI.
"The balance of the team will determine whether if India will play a second spinner or an additional medium-pacer."
Enough firepower
He heaped praise on the Indian batting line-up. "India's batting is well set with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina, not to mention MS Dhoni himself," Srinath said.
"This is amply reflective of the strength at the top of the batting order, so perhaps the selectors might have felt that keeping Vijay in the squad was a bit of a luxury they could not afford.
"With Ravindra Jadeja coming down the order and Ravichandaran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar more than competent with the bat, India batting looks the strongest of all the teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015."
Surprised with the omission of Vijay
Srinath questioned the omission of the in-form Murali Vijay, who has scored tons of runs in the ongoing Test series against Australia Down Under.
"It is the current form of the players that usually decides those final two or three available slots. I am sure the whole of India will be talking about the exclusion of Murali Vijay, who has been in great form both on this tour of Australia and in England last year.
"I am not sure if the selectors have moved away from the concept of rewarding good performances in one format of the game with a place in another format being played in the same country."