More questions than answers

India won a handsome victory against the West Indies at Baroda,thus sealing the series 3-1. But it also left a lot of questions unanswered.

1. Irfan Pathan's form ?

Irfan Pathan had pretty average returns of 7-0-43-1 in his comeback game in India colors. 43 out of a team total of 181 is nearly 25% of the runs scored off his bowling.

His batting form has been steady in his time out of the Indian team.

Irfan Pathan is the most important cog in India's scheme of things in the World Cup. A fit and in form Pathan gives the Indians a lot more flexibility in their batting and bowling schemes. And he has a pretty strong arm, thus bolstering a pretty ordinary fielding side.

2. Where does Virender Sehwag fit in ?

From Vice Captain to Captain to nobody in the space of 3 weeks. That is the story of Virender Sehwag today. Accused of being a disruptive element in the team, his batting form is the pits today. Given that his ODI form has been below average for an extended period of time, does he even merit inclusion in the XV?

If he does, how does he get slotted into the squad? As a 3rd opener and back up for Uthappa or Ganguly or as a # 6 covering for Yuvraj?

He had an pretty good outing in the West Indies, being the leading run scorer in the shorter format of the game. Plus his spin bowling was a revelation. If in form, he gives India added options.

Omitted out of the squad for the West Indies series, an inclusion during the SL series will indicate that he is in the selectors mind. Non inclusion means curtains to his World Cup hopes.

3. Two spinners or 3 ?

Indian skipper Rahul Dravid on Tuesday virtually named Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as the two spinners certain to make the World Cup squad and said off-spinner Ramesh Powar was competing for a spot with one of the pace bowlers.

With Sachin and Yuvraj turning their arms over, and Sehwag offering more options if selected, the Captain has basically closed the door on Ramesh Powar's chances for the World Cup.

4. Yuvraj Singh's batting form ?

By all reports, his knee is holding up well. so, did India miss a trick by not sending Yuvraj Singh up the order ( #3 or 4) in the last ODI at Baroda? The platform was set, and by giving Yuvraj an extended stay at the crease, a better assessment could have been made of his batting form and match fitness.

As things stand now, Yuvraj Singh's batting form is a matter of conjecture.

5. Sachin at 3 or 4 ?

Tendulkar came in at 3 in the first ODI at Nagpur, and then dropped down to 4 in the remaining 3 ODIs with Dravid taking the #3 spot.

In the ideal world ( ie- my playing XI), Sachin would come at 3 and Dravid at 5, with Yuvraj taking the #4 spot. This is because Dravid is the perfect bridge between one set of strokemakers and another and also because at 3, Sachin can do the pinch hitter/team anchor double act.

6. Munaf or Sreesanth or both or neither?

In form, Munaf is a must have in the team XI ( although his fielding makes Ashish Nehra look like Jonty Rhodes at times). He is a valuable asset at the start of an innings and his ability to get reverse swing is important at the death.

Contrast this with Sreesanth, who, while being a wonderful Test match bowler, comes unhinged in ODIs.

But while Sreesanth has the TINA factor going for him, Munaf is battling self doubt and a dodgy ankle (?). Add to this the strong vote of no confidence voiced by the BCCI and the selectors over the fiasco that was the Newlands test and its aftermath, and you are looking at a very shaky competitor.

7. Raina or Kaif or both or neither?

Md. Kaif topped India's ODI batting averages during the tour to the West Indies and had 3 scores of 50 or more to boot. Being the second highest run getter helped too.

However, a dismal series in South Africa and he finds himself out of favor with the people who matter.

Suresh Raina is the flavor of the season at the moment, and while he has undoubted potential, is he the right guy to take on to the World's biggest stage, especially given his form ( over an extended period) has been more down than up?

If a choice in the final XV boils down to a toss up between these two electric fielders with indifferent form, which way will the axe fall?

8. Saurav Ganguly- bowler ?

Will Saurav Ganguly bowl at all? Twice in two games he has left the field with back problems. That does not bode well for him or the Indian team.

9. Uthappa seals the deal?

Is Robin Uthappa the answer for the opening slot? Or does Gambhir still have a shot? Are 2 innings good enough to make a concrete decision on the merits/demerits of a player? Or does Gambhir offer more in terms of international experience?

10. India's batting and the inability to adapt quickly ?

At Chennai, the Indian middle and lower middle order crumbled, losing 7/35. At Cuttuck, the top order lost its way, losing 7/90. Two different wickets, slightly different batting conditions, and the Indians unraveled. Given that the some of the wickets in the West Indies are being newly laid, and some of the wickets are being used for the Carib domestic season, what will be the nature of the wickets and how quickly will the Indians adapt to the change?

( India failed to adapt quickly enough at Abu Dhabi, West Indies, Malaysia, India and South Africa on different conditions. How they do in the West Indies hinges on how quickly the can revise game plans depending on the conditions).
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India has two more ODIs to closure on these issues ( the WC team has to be announced before Feb 13th), failing which the entire World Cup campaign will be in jeopardy.

Update - Obviously the CricInfo website does not think so :)