'Harbhajan's form will be crucial'

Being the captain of the Indian cricket team has never been easy, never will be. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is learning this at the moment. After going through a period when he was hailed as a genius, he is now being called hopeless. The truth is clearly between the two extremes, but Dhoni must know that he will have to live with these oscillating opinions.

However, the one area where he can improve is in his interactions with the media. He tends to be a little too honest at post-match conferences, especially when it comes to critically analyzing his players. He should temper this a bit and learn to be a little less harsh in his comments on the performance of his teammates. It pays to keep some of the stuff within the dressing room, and having a quiet word with a player is more effective than a public criticism.

Harbhajan Singh will lead India's spin challenge against the Aussies. © Getty Images

Dhoni has a fine unit at his disposal for the forthcoming series against Australia. The Indians are strong at home, and the return of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh strengthens the team greatly. Besides their ability, they bring an element of experience and stability, which Dhoni would have missed in South Africa.

Between the two of them, Yuvraj and Sehwag have won innumerable games for India, and their absence did hit the team hard during the Champions Trophy. Together with Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni himself, it’s a batting line-up that’s formidable.

That the two teams are fighting for the top ranking among one-day teams only adds to the excitement. I am not a firm believer in these rankings, but whoever comes out tops after this series can claim to be the form side of one-day cricket at the moment.

While India’s batting has always been strong, their bowlers have been a little erratic of late. The injury to Zaheer Khan has been a severe setback for the team, as has the indifferent form of Ishant Sharma. I am happy that the selectors have shown faith in the latter by picking him because he is a bowler who has impressed me ever since I saw him in Sydney two years ago. He has clear potential but needs to be managed carefully because he is still growing in his body.

However, the main challenge from India would be in the form of spin. Many of the Australians have not really been exposed to quality spin, and it’s up to Harbhajan Singh to exploit this in the one-day series. He has the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, and Yuvraj Singh to complement him from the other side, but his form might be critical to the outcome of the series.

The Indians would be hurting after their performance during the Champions Trophy and know that defeating Australia would go help redeem. The Australians are coming off a winning streak and look like a settled unit. It’s going to be a delectable contest that will give the winner the top ranking, the silverware and a great deal of pride. There’s plenty to play for, this time.