India needs to address a few serious issues

India would do well not to panic after finishing at the wrong end of a cliff-hanger against South Africa, here, on Saturday. There could still be plenty of cricket left for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men in this ICC World Cup.

The pressures of delivering in a World Cup at home can be demanding. The reactions to setbacks are often of an extreme nature and emotions do run high.

For all practical purposes, India is through to the quarterfinals. Everything boils down to how the side approaches the knock-out phase.

Yet, without losing belief and confidence, India needs to address a few serious issues arising out of Saturday's Group ‘B' humdinger.

Wake-up call

A defeat in the league phase can be a wake-up call. It is, therefore, imperative to plug the holes before the business end of the competition.

The loss also carries a valuable message to Team India - You have to be ruthless when on top.

Instead, India slipped from a dominant position. The batting crumbled when it was set to fly and the bowling came up short at the crunch.

Here, it must be stressed that Munaf Patel, a seamer with control, should be bowled out before the 40th over. In the hectic end overs, his length becomes predictable and the paceman tends to go for runs. Munaf can be an asset if employed judiciously.

Dhoni's decision to give the final over to Ashish Nehra, ahead of Harbhajan Singh, was of a 50-50 nature and cannot really be faulted. A spinner is in greater danger of being hit out of the park in the last over.

Batting a letdown

This was a match where India's batting let the side down. The huge gathering turned silent and there was a sense of disbelief when India lost its last nine wickets for 29 runs.

The move to promote Yusuf Pathan ahead of Yuvraj Singh was a debatable one. Yusuf does not need the batting Power Play overs to club the ball beyond the ropes.

India was powerless in the Power Play overs. The side should have dished out bright, conventional cricket by piercing the infield instead of lashing out and losing wickets and momentum. This triggered a collapse of a believe-it-or-not variety. Tactically, India should explore the possibility of opting for Power Play in the middle-overs - between 20 and 35 - when there is a tendency by the batsmen to slow down the tempo.

From here on, R. Ashwin should team up with spin spearhead Harbhajan. The two are different types of off-spinners and could complement each other by creating the stress. And pressure produces wickets. Ashwin could prove valuable in the Power Play and end overs too.

The team management also has a complex batting predicament to cope with. If the captivating opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and No. 3 Gautam Gambhir bat for a sizable period, then the big-hitters will be promoted. Someone like Virat Kohli stands to be wasted.

A luxury

And if Kohli walks in at No. 4 then the in-form Yuvraj Singh surfaces too low down the order and the other strong strikers of the ball in the team are left with little time to make an impact. Having both Gambhir and Kolhi in the eleven is a luxury and impacts the flow of batting. Gambhir finding form with the bat and Kohli being the best fielder in the eleven complicates the issue. It will not be an easy call for the team-management to make.