Yuvraj's spin will be an asset against the minnows, but there is a concern about it working against stronger batting line-ups
Yuvraj's spin will be an asset against the minnows, but there is a concern about it working against stronger batting line-upsAfter a hard fought win over the feisty Irish team, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni made the relevant point that it's; "Important to peak at the right time in the World Cup."
There's no doubt the man who drove India to victory against Ireland, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, is peaking. However, because of the diverse nature of the teams at this tournament it's sometimes difficult to know if a player's peaking for the major opponents or only the minnows. There's no doubt Yuvraj's bowling has improved and the really good news is, he's transformed his batting and is once again an Indian asset. Nevertheless, there must be a concern that his penetrative bowling against the weaker sides will not translate into such devastating spells once the tournament reaches the knockout stage.
That's when teams need to attain their peak. There's no doubt Yuvraj's bowling will be an asset against the Netherlands but will it suffice against the stronger batting line-up of South Africa?
It now appears as though India is set on playing an extra batsman to utilise the considerable strike power of Yusuf Pathan. That's understandable, but it also means having to fill the fifth group of ten overs with part-time bowlers. If these bowlers put in a poor performance against South Africa will the selectors change their mind?
If that did happen and Yuvraj wasn't that impressive against England, then India would only have the match against the West Indies to experiment with a different strategy.
There's no doubting India has an advantage in knowing the conditions better than other sides. It could well be that as the weather warms the pitches will encourage spinners and the teams who play slow bowling well and have more tweakers to tease the opposition, will be best placed.
However, against top-class batsmen the spinners better be good, rather than just bowlers who roll their arm over. Yuvraj has developed as a spinner but it's dangerous to test the level of improvement during a World Cup.
The good news for India is they've had a couple of hard fought matches; the tie against England and the battle to overcome Ireland. They also have two potential tough matches against South Africa and West Indies.
This should mean India enter the knockout stage tried and tested and in good shape to progress deep into the tournament. That is as long as the bowling attack peaks against the strong teams.
