India will begin a 4 match one day series in West Indies today and it ought to be a test of how far this Indian team has come in the last 3 or 4 years. I am putting aside the T20 world cup in terms of performance, but there were issues outside of cricket.
What exactly happened with Sehwag? The rumour of fallout between Dhoni and Sehwag is not beyond belief, and will certainly need addressing before India can move forward. The importance of both to the next five years of Indian cricket needs to be realised. This is a matter for after the series as Sehwag is still out and it is a time to focus on cricket
India are also without Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, so it is a real chance for fringe players to grab. This is why I feel it is a test to India’s credentials as a contender for the number one cricket team. If they can establish a 3-1 or a 4-0 victory abroad, with a weakened side, this will show a level of growth past what we saw in the early part of the decade.
Dhoni will be under the spotlight, his batting has changed under captaincy to mixed reviews, less aggressive but so much so that he doesn’t appear able to change gear when required. His one day performances have been fine, in fact world-beating, but his lack of aggression steers away from modern cricket. His batting ought to be good enough to avoid criticism, but his captaincy will need to show signs of improvement and more steel than we saw in the T20 world cup. The expectation of a billion Indians rests on his shoulders, so good luck to him.
Let’s not forget West Indies part in this, they are showing signs of recovery and showed that they can compete at home. I expect short stuff from them, challenging the Indian batsmenís weaknesses. Can the Indians adapt and set their sights on that number one spot? We will get a very good idea over the next fortnight.
