12 July,2013 08:13 AM IST | | MiD DAY Correspondent
India, minus Mahendra Singh Dhoni, it must be stressed, have worked their way into a tournament-winning situation in the tri-series competition hosted by the West Indies. Dhoni has recovered remarkably to lead India in the final.
If India manages to conquer the sometimes-hot, at times-flat Sri Lankan outfit, it would give them their third one-day trophy in a row.
Consistency is the hallmark of performance and it is heartening to see India taking a big step on this critical aspect.
Nothing is more pleasing to see than the emergence of young players. In India's case, it means that they make themselves serious contenders to be favourites for the next ICCu00a050-50 World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2015.
It must be noted that India have won a one-day series in Australia only once (in 2008) in the new millennium.
The selectors have done well and the young guns have done well to vindicate their selection. If this team is managed well in terms of workload, their World Cup chances brighten to a great degree.
It is important to make them play a lot of matches, but not meaningless games, and that includes a chunk of Indian Premier League matches as well.
So far, the national selectors have not had a role to play in the Indian Premier League, but this time, they might need to step in and tell franchises to carefully manage their World Cup stars. After all, the IPL is a BCCI tournament and the parent body must put the country's interest first.u00a0
