India best equipped team for World Cup, says Wisden

India, which returns to England as a triumphant nation of the last World Cup hosted by the British Isles, has been rated 12-1 by the London bookies alongside its arch-rival Pakistan, Sri Lanka and strong favourite South Africa.

Despite a relatively poor showing by England in recent times, they stand high in esteem of the patriotic bookies who gave the home side a 10-1 chance with two-time World Cup champions West Indies — also suffereing from indifferent form — onthe same pedastal.

Only Australia, the unofficial Test champion and with 100 per cent success in every series it played over last one year, is placed higher at 8-1.

“The 1999 cricket World Cup essential stats and facts”, the book created in association with the England and Wales Cricket Board and Wisden, says India has three most dangerous bowlers in the world in Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble who can exploit the English conditions that will confront them at cricket’s greatest extragavanza.

Besides world’s richest cricketer Tendulkar, the authors say, India has star performers such as Saurav Ganguly and ‘keeper Nayan Mongia who could be match-winners on their day.

“…And it is difficult to make an argument against India having the firepower to mount their biggest challenge since that June day 16 years ago when Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath bowled out the West Indies cheaply at Lord’s to allow their captain Kapil Dev and the country a moment of glory.”

The authorsbase their assessment on India’s successful tour of England in 1996 “..Since new stars Ganguly and Dravid emerged as batsmen of impressive technique and temperament on their first England Test tour.”

“The two new batsmen conquered the peculiar demands of English conditions, where the ball swings and can move alarmingly at times off the seam, as if they were born to the ever changing weather they faced.”

On the bowling front, experienced new ball bowlers Srinath and Prasad, and Kumble are expected to perform better while many-a-time match-winner Ajit Agarkar does not even get a mention in the commentary.

“Srinath and Prasad have impressed in England as one of the best new-ball attacks in the world,” Pearce-Day said. The two bowlers picked up 26 wickets between them in the three-Test series.

After a farcical exit from the 1996 edition — India was defaulted playing against eventual champions Sri Lanka in the semi-finals when crowd interruption forced the match referee to take punitive action –those who played that ill-fated match are still eager to undo that sordid saga.

“Tendulkar scored 523 runs, more than any other batsman in that tournament, and he prepares for the England challenge determined to show the world that he is the world’s master batsman, despite Brian Lara’s bid to prove otherwise,” Pearce-Day said.

India, bracketed in Group `A’ with holders Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, zimbabwe and Kenya, can be world beaters on their day, the authors say but with a little hint of caution: “unfortunately, cricket history reveals that India have tended to under-achieve when put to the ultimate test.”

They further add that since the lottery of World Cup action makes forecasting a precarious occupation, “India’s record in Tests and One-Day Internationals enhances the belief that a punter can soon be parted from his money if he relies on hunch and formbook to second guess the team Mohammed Azharuddin leads.”

But they hasten to add: “One-Day Internationals have become the staplediet of Indian cricket. No country competing at England ’99 has more experience of the cut and thrust of this form of cricket, be it in daylight or under floodlight.”

“India have everything in their favour to win the World Cup a second time,” the authors conclude but query: “Can they deliver?”