Dhoni's problems persist as World Cup comes knocking

There's much more riding on the match against England than a place in the tri-series final

The maxim “fortune favours the brave” certainly didn’t hold true for the Indian cricket team. But the rain gods smiled on them and the match against Australia in Sydney was washed out which meant that tomorrow’s encounter against England is a virtual semi-final. The team that wins on Friday will play Australia in the final on February 1 in Perth.

It hasn’t been a happy Australian summer for the Indian cricket team and these are worrying times for MS Dhoni’s men. A loss against Australia in the tournament opener followed by a disastrous result against England in the second game means that things aren’t really clicking for India. The batsmen are getting starts but not really converting them. The opening combination is yet to fire and Rohit Sharma’s injury hasn’t helped the batting line up’s cause. The bowlers have been below par all summer – including the Test matches – and continue to struggle in the Australian conditions. Post his retirement from Test matches Dhoni’s captaincy in ODIs hasn’t been able to inspire his teammates either. The tri-series was meant to get the Indian team in groove before the World Cup begins on February 15. On the basis of performances so far, it would be a miracle if the defending champions manage to retain the World Cup.

Shikhar Dhawan’s form has been the biggest concern for Team India. The left-handed opening batsmen has been in abysmal form and has scored only 11 runs in the three matches so far. Over the last 12 months, Dhawan’s form has been a worry and he will get the axe sooner or later if he doesn’t put runs on the board. If Sharma was fit for this game, it’s quite likely that Dhawan would have been dropped. But he is a man on borrowed time and needs to make the most of it.

There has been some debate on Virat Kohli’s batting position in the batting order. Kohli is batting at number 4 but former Indian batsmen VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid recently suggested that Kohli needs to come in one drop to steady the ship. Kohli’s record as number three is pretty good but at number four it’s even more impressive. As a number three batsman, he has scored 4,158 runs in 93 matches at an average of 51, whereas at number four he has scored 1,721 runs in 38 matches at an average of 61. It’s a conundrum Dhoni and team management need to solve before the World Cup begins. The way India’s openers have batted so far, it would make far more sense for Kohli to bat in at number three. The rest of the supporting cast -- Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayyudu and Suresh Raina – haven’t proven their mettle in Australia.

India desperately need to win the match against England as confidence will be rock bottom if the get knocked out of the tri-series without winning a single game. It’s surprising as in the last 14 months, India have lost just a solitary ODI series yet they look all at sea in Australia. There’s more riding on this match than just a place in the final as it could set the tone for how India fare in the World Cup. Time is running out for Dhoni and his men to build some confidence and head into the World Cup with some kind of form behind them. Even rain gods won’t be able to help them this time as a washed out game would result in India getting knocked out. The batsmen need to get their act together if India has to have a shot at making the final as well as becoming the second team to successfully defend the World Cup.