5 things to look forward to for Indian Cricket in 2015

2015 is all set to test the strength of the Indian players’ fitness levels and determination, with a lot of high profile tournaments. While it is safe to say that the selectors have zeroed in on the nucleus of the batting order – Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan the bowling woes still continue to haunt the team.Indian cricket is at a point where it is in a very stable position in the shorter formats of the game – courtesy IPL, but still struggles to switch off from the hangover of the Test matches – again, courtesy IPL. It could be said that the test team is in a transition period but one still cannot justify the kind of performances the team has put up in 2014. Long tours away from home have undone all the preparations till now and the squad does not look equipped to deal with tournaments which last more than a month. However, 2015 might prove to be a breakthrough year if the team starts off well in tri series just before the world cup which could help in deciding a stable playing XI in the world cup . It would be a challenging period which would test the limits of Indian cricketers because of overseas conditions and lack of resources in bowling department. So, what are the 5 things to which we can look forward to in Indian cricket in 2015, let’s find out:

#1 ODI Tri Series in Australia - Prepping for the World Cup

With the big three of International cricket (India, Australia and England) taking off a chunk of space in the international calendar by heckling other boards into submission it is certain that these three will play more often against each other in the near future and the tri-series just before the world cup is the beginning of that era. It will be a crucial series for the three teams to take a final decision as to how their final XI at the world cup might look like.

India has not announced their squad for the tri series but in all likelihood it will be from the list of 30 probables, with Dhoni’s inputs that is. But it will be a dilemma of sorts as to whether to pick Yuvraj who has attracted a lot of attention by scoring 3 centuries in a row in the Ranji games. And, if selectors decide to look at the approach he has adopted then it is a possibility that he might make it to Australia for the tri series and who knows even the world cup, it’s a long shot but never say never.

#2 Event of the Year - World Cup 2015

The 2015 world cup in Australia/New Zealand will be the event of the calendar. It could be Sangakarra’s swansong or the dawn of a new era for England or the re-emergence of New Zealand by winning the Cup which will be flagged off in Christchurch (hit by the earthquake in 2011). It will also be an opportunity for minnows to stage upsets including the arrival of Afghanistan on the biggest cricketing stage.

But most of all it will be a test of India’s brand new world cup squad. The selectors have decided to give a chance to players performing in the domestic league over accomplished players like Gambhir, Sehwag and most of all Yuvraj. Only three players have survived the over haul after the emphatic win in the last world cup. India’s batting looks quite strong with the core of the team including Rohit, Shikhar, Virat, Rahane, Dhoni and Raina looking good in the format, however, concerns over the bowling department still remain. Ishant looks good in patches and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fitness during the world cup will hold the key to India’s chances at the world cup.

It will be an interesting tournament because the Aussie’s way of dissipating the blandness from the format with fun costumes and empty beer snake chains and drumrolls will makefor a delightful watch. It’ll be a 6 week long affair and will include some marquee clashes like India vs Pakistan, the tickets for which have already been sold off. Now, all that you need is a chilled beer because the circus is coming to the town very soon.

#3 Change of Guard in Indian Cricket - From MSD to Kohli

MS Dhoni hanged his boots in the most abrupt retirements of all times with just a phone call; no press conference, no big announcements and no farewell match. He knew that the end was neigh and that Virat Kohli was ready for the responsibility. He is no doubt, one of the most respected players in the sport and arguably one of the best captains to have ever led India, but his tactics in test matches had not worked for quite some time now. MSD will always be remembered as ‘The Captain cool’ and the ‘Man with the Midas Touch’ who turned everthing to gold.

His successor Kohli is a kind of a player who thrives under pressure. He is aggressive and intense and approaches the game in the right way, always looking to try and win. He has scored a ton of runs overseas and looks well settled to lead India for the foreseeable future. Kohli will build his test team from scratch and it will be the beginning of an interesting phase in Indian cricket in 2015 starting with the test in Sydney.

#4 The Indian Premier League

IPL is the best form of entertainment right now in cricket and we look forward to this form of Vaudevillian cricket every summer, supporting our home teams, cheering those gravity defying dives, amazed by those scenes of utter bedlam for the bowlers getting hit by an unknown kid from a small town, one-upmanship among friends, bragging rights for the winner and the razzmatazz associated with it. It is a tournament which everybody loves to hate and criticizes in disgust but at the same time is a guilty pleasure for all once the lights come on.

The auctions of IPL 2015 are going to be an interesting affair because a lot of top teams have released players and incidentally they are performing quite well in different competitions. Yuvraj from RCB, Aaron Finch from Sunrisers Hyderabad, KP from DD and the evergreen Jacques kallis from KKR are all up for grabs and it will be interesting to see how the teams strategise their auction plans and regroup their squads.

#5 Pakistan tour of India

Pakistan has toured India only once since the 2004-2005 series and it will be one of the most anticipated series of 2015 in the subcontinent. The schedule is not confirmed as of yet but it is being speculated that the Pakistan side will tour India in August, just before the Champions League T20 in September. Cricket has always been a diplomatic tool for both the countries to bring peace but what we have always relished is the natural rivalry and passionate intense games whenever these two teams enter the arena (Remember the Gambhir vs Afridi Spat and Venaktesh Prasad vs Aamir Sohail rivalry). It will be an epic clash of two cousin nations, separated by borders and united by cricket.