By winning the CB series, India's next generation of cricketers have proved that they have the technique and temperament to compete with the best. Here is my review of the players in batting order -
Robin Uthappa - Showcased his hard-hitting capabilities while chasing 318 for a victory against Australia in the league phase, but otherwise had an average series. He seems ideal at number 6, but in a Team packed with low order hitters, he will miss out if the team goes in with five bowlers unless he is willing to adjust his game as an opener. He proved that he has the temperament to be an opener when he curbed his aggressive style and gave India a solid start along with Tendulkar in the final. Remains to be seen if he can develop in to a solid opener who can mix caution with aggression and provide the team with consistent good starts.
Virender Sehwag - I strongly believe that though he should be a sure pick for opening in Tests, he has been too inconsistent in recent times to be considered an automatic pick in one dayers. After the first few games in the league phase, Dhoni quickly recognized him as the extra batsman in the team and rightly kept him out for the rest of the series. Robin Uthappa should be given an extended run as first choice opener, with Sehwag as cover for the openers in case of injury. If the pitch conditions demand an extra batsman instead of the fifth bowler, then Sehwag is an ideal pick as he can also bowl off breaks.
Sachin Tendulkar - The fact that at 35, after 18 years of cricket, he is even in this next generation team tells a story doesn't it? Clearly his experience at the top of the order adds stability to the team. He started the series with a string of fluent 30s followed by single digit scores in three games and just when the critics were getting ready to slaughter him, roared back to form with a cracking 63 in the must win game against Sri Lanka. He then took charge in the finals and led the team to victory. If his sublime innings of 117* in the first final was a perfect example of a well paced chase, his 91 in the second final was another magnificent innings grafted patiently against tight bowling and extremely good fielding. Who can ever forget those beautiful upper cuts he executed off Mitchell Johnson's bouncers! Irrespective of age, he still is India's best ODI batsman and in fact ended the series rated as the no.1 batsman in the ICC ODI rankings.
Gautam Gambhir - Was the most consistent batsman for India through the series; topped the batting charts for the series with 440 runs at an average of 55.00 and a strike rate of 82.70; and his beautifully paced 113 against Australia that almost took India to victory was the best innings by an Indian in the tournament! Ferocious cuts and pulls are his trademark shots, but he also showed nimble footwork against Murali's off spin. He sure has grabbed the number three spot for himself. He, more than Yuvraj deserves a place in the Test XI.
Rohit Sharma - Impressed everyone with his compact technique and athletic fielding abilities. Seemed capable of playing both in aggressive mode and in accumulation mode, but fell several times to casual strokes. Surely talented, but, needs to be seen if he has the mental strength to develop in a to consistent middle order batsman.
Yuvraj Singh - He was touted as India's best bat and expected to marshal the inexperienced middle order, but his horrid run continued in the one day series as well. Except for the delightful 76 against Sri Lanka wherein he showed how devastating a batsman he can be, and a quick 38 in the final he had a very ordinary series.
MS Dhoni - Known for his outrageous shots and hard-hitting capabilities, he never really got a chance to showcase his firebrand style of cricket. Instead, with the top order failing too many times, he found himself in situations where he needed to rebuild the innings and accumulate runs. By suitably adjusting his game, he has proved that he is a versatile batsman. Particularly, the 88 he accumulated in the washed out match against Sri Lanka and the 50* he made, also against the Sri Lanka, without hitting a single boundary were well crafted innings. But more than his batting, he impressed everyone with this captaincy. Having gotten the team he wanted, he marshaled the players very well. If I were to pick one decision that highlighted his captaincy, its the one he made regarding Sehwag. With the batting collapsing a few times, he dropped Sehwag and instead brought in the extra bowler. By reinforcing the bowling, he took pressure off the batting and this five bowler strategy, I think was crucial in India eventually winning the tournament.
Irfan Pathan - Pathan, the batsman never got going - it did not help that the captain sent him in at number three a several times - except for that 31 in the must win match against Sri Lanka; Pathan, the bowler started the series well, but lost his edge as the series wore on. He is a decent swing bowler who can be very good if conditions suit him and a capable number seven batsman and when in form allows the team to go in confidently with a five bowler attack. I never understood the ploy of using him at number three - in good batting conditions, there is no point in sending him ahead of specialist batsmen, and in difficult batting conditions, he doesn't have the technique to cope! Dhoni should use him wisely and make sure that he is not over worked.
Harbhajan Singh - He overcame controversies and crowd hostility to consistently choke the runs in the middle overs and picked up some important wickets as well.
Ishant Sharma - The find of the series, no question about it! Bowled beautifully in the test series and emerged as India's strike bowler in the one dayers. He bowls fast, extracts good bounce, swings both ways and has the stamina to bowl long spells - what more can you ask for! We can only hope that he doesn't fades away like many other Indian bowlers (think Balaji, Nehra and even Pathan & Munaf who aren't nearly as lethal as they once promised - at least not consistently) in recent times.
Praveen Kumar - The surprise package of the tournament, he was the man of the match in both the must win game against Sri Lanka and the final! To say that he played a major role in India winning the series is an understatement - another wonderful prospect for Team India.
Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla - Each played their part in one match or the other. But, Sreesanth has a tendency to blow hot & cold, and Munaf is injury prone & a poor fielder. It's to Dhoni credit that he managed them well all through the series. Unless they step up their game to justify their talent, they are sure to lose their spots to Zaheer and RP Singh when they return.
Zaheer Khan, RP Singh - These two were expected to be India's front line bowlers, but both were out to injury.
Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary - Not too long ago Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina were touted to be the future of India's middle order, but Rohit Sharma and Uthappa have beaten them to the team. Though they did not get a game in the series, whenever they came on the field as substitute fielders, one could feel the enthusiasm they brought to the team. The fact that these guys are waiting in the bench should drive those in the team to always be at their best, and that is good for Indian cricket!
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