Worst over, down and out India may end run drought in World Cup

However, expert opinion is not one of despair. Some experts believe quite strongly that the reason lies in the extreme conditions (read green pitches) in Kiwiland and the lackadaisical attitude (read not learning from mistakes) of the players.

But, on a positive note, they say India will end this streak at the World Cup and return to the brilliant form they had shown in NatWest Trophy and Champions Trophy early last year.

According to former Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad, the reason for the sudden loss of form is ‘‘lack of application, where nobody is applying his mind and playing like a novice.’’ He adds that in the past tours to New Zealand, the Indians have always struggled on green wickets but this time around ‘‘the recovery was just not happening.’’

So what about the World Cup? ‘‘This is the team that has scored 330 in a day in a Test, so there is no reason to suggest that this will continue in South Africa as well. It cannot get worse than this, I am sure there will be better performances,’’ he says.

National selector Kiran More comes down heavily on the type of wicket which the New Zealanders have laid out.

‘‘Such green tops are not suitable for cricket. The Kiwi bowlers, who seem unplayable at home, will be thrashed all over the park if they come to India or even in South Africa during the World Cup. Just remember checking Jacob Oram’s (India’s nemesis in the tour) performance during the World Cup,’’ he says.

More feels that there is no reason to read too much into India’s failure in New Zealand as the conditions in South Africa will be quite the opposite.

‘‘During February-March, the weather in South Africa will be similar to the Indian summer. And the wickets there will see a much more even contest between the bat and ball unlike the overly bowler-friendly conditions in New Zealand,’’ he says.

The former wicketkeeper adds that even the Kiwi batsmen have struggled so far and there have been a few positives for the Indians too, like the bowling performance of Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath and the batting display of Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid.

Another former Indian coach, Ajit Wadekar, may be caustic about India’s display in New Zealand but is bullish about their World Cup prospects. ‘‘Maybe we peaked too early and are now having a downward slide. It is basically law of averages and I am hopeful of us doing better in the World Cup,’’ he says.

So for the fans, after the cynicism of recent days, at least the expert opinion gives some hope and, of course, reason enough to switch on the TV in the wee hours after a sleepless night spent worrying about India’s World Cup dreams.