Bits & Pieces is the way for India at the moment

You can call it the result of playing on docile wickets and the fact that Indian batsmen are chasing 300+ scores in nearly every one-dayer that they play or the ineffectiveness of the Indian bowling attack but the fact remains that the Indian selectors have understood that this team just cannot afford to have too many specialist bowlers. As a result, from Yousuf Pathan to Jadeja and now even, Abhishek Nayyar, all players who have a record of contributing with the bat and the ball have been inducted into the team. 2011 World Cup is not very far away and the selectors and the team management most probably understand that there is not much difference between someone who can give-away six or seven runs per over, and hence, if the compromise in bowling attack means having nearly 8 batsmen, then why not take the advantage. It should be understood that a similar approach has been taken by various international teams with widely varied results. In 1996, the Sri Lankans used their part-time spinners to put together a world cup-winning effort whereas the West Indies have tried it many times and are still trying it with a host of players who can bowl medium pace or a bit slower but have found no success whatsoever. It is not a sure-win formula by any stretch of imagination but when the domestic scene is so completely devoid of quality bowlers with any real spin or pace to talk about, are there any good alternatives?

Not Knee-jerking this... why are Yusuf, Rohit Sharma backed so much?

Please understand that this is not a knee-jerk reaction to India’s defeat in the first T20 match against SL. This has been happening over the last two seasons. For some strange reason, the selectors and the likes of Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri seem to be very vocal about the abilities of Rohit Sharma and Yusuf Pathan.
The elder Pathan for one is touted as the missing all-rounder that the team needs though he has never done anything even close to substantial to justify this faith. Similar is the case with Rohit Sharma who despite a string of failures, now combined with injury-enforced breaks and an average domestic season is back in the reckoning though he has never actually delivered when it mattered the most — so why are these two players being imposed upon us as the ‘young’ stars of the team that ‘will’ win the 2011 World Cup for India? Ravi Shastri seems to have a blind faith in Pathan’s ability to score match-winning innings, though every time he comes out to bat, an average, ridiculous dismissal is always guaranteed and he isn't a spinner by any measure — when is the last time you saw Yusuf turn the ball in any imaginable way?? Even when playing for the Rajasthan Royals, Yusuf has not been the greatest of performers considering that that his team depends a lot on his batting, often looking up to to finish the matches, but he has done that very, very seldom.

Aussie Bowling Riches are piling-up

The absence of a Warnie or a McGrath will always be felt, but just look at the kind of bowlers Ponting has at his disposal right now - the choice of lef-armers is seriously widespread with Bollinger, Johnson and Bracken ready to bend their backs and among the more conservative-type, line & length bowlers, Hillfenhaus is shaping-up real good and Stuart Clarke, despite his lack of pace, has the ability to come good when the going gets really tough. Add to this mix, the really fast bowlers like Brett Lee and Tait, and you have a pretty penetrative Aussie bowling attack. Yes, there are some vacancies in the spin department but Hauritz can keep-up one end really tight. I believe this pool of bowlers is good enough to win test matches on most pitches, and against every kind of opposition that is pitched against the Aussies. This makes them plenty of arsenal as they prepare for the 2011 World Cup. Further, their bowling powress should not be underestimated just because the World Cup is going to be played in the subcontinent. If you recall, some of the last few home series that India has hosted and those played in Sri Lanka, it seems that any side that has fast bowlers who can bend their backs and save about crucial runs by bowling hard into the ground, into the rib-cages of the batsmen, even in matches where 300+ is the average score are worth their weight in the team.