If I remember correctly, the reason why Greg Chappell was hired as Indian coach was for his vision. That vision included two points that I thought were very important - develop a pool of about 20 players one could choose from and make those players multi-skilled.

A lot of experiments have been tried, some more successful than others, but give Chappell credit for trying and actually doing what he set out to do, which was to  make sure no player would take his place for granted. The one-day series against the West Indies that has just finished showed just that.

Zaheer Khan and Sourav Ganguly were axed a year ago. They were given up by the media but obviously not by the selectors, the coach and the captain. They've both come back strongly and have improved in almost everything - their fitness, fielding and attitude. They are the two players who have suddenly made the Indian batting and bowling look respectable again.

In the bowling department, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble are proven match-winners, and both have benefited from the competition for the sole spinner's spot - the presence of Ramesh Powar ensuring there is no taking for granted of places. In the batting, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid are the pillars.

Tendulkar has a point to prove after all his injuries, and Dravid is the only one who knows his place is secure. Thes gotse four guys are the engine room of the team. Add Ganguly and Zaheer and suddenly the team has three solid batsmen and three match-winning bowlers.

Verinder Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni were young stars a year ago, hoping to move on to bigger things. All three were exposed when playing in unfriendly conditions. As a result Sehwag and Pathan were dropped and both aren't now certain of a place in the World Cup squad. Pathan is fighting for a seamer's spot with Sri Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and Ajit Agarkar - and Sehwag for the opener's slot with Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa. Dhoni hasn't had a slump, but when he got injured Karthik stepped up admirably and now Dhoni knows that he can't be guaranteed a place if he doesn't perform.

A lot of other players have been tried and sadly haven't established themselves in spite of the chances available to them. Suresh Raina, Dinesh Mongia, Wasim Jaffer, VVS Laxman, and Mohamed Kaif haven't done anything to suggest they should be selected as batsmen. In the bowling department VRV Singh, RP Singh and Powar showed potential but didn't make you wonder where these guys have been throughout the years.

If one looks closely at the players for the current series, it's easy to see that the pressure is now on Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Pathan to perform in the matches against Sri Lanka. If they show a return to form, then they'll be picked for sure (I think they'll be picked, anyway) and they'll make the team look almost exactly the same as the previous World Cup.

The difference is that over the last two years, with the exception of Dravid, all these players have gone through a slump or injuries and will be hungry to perform. So my starting 11 would be: 1. Sehwag. 2. Ganguly, 3. Dravid, 4. Tendulkar, 5. Yuvraj, 6. Pathan, 7. Dhoni, 8. Agarkar, 9. Zaheer, 10. Harbhajan, 11. Kumble.

The remaining four players will probably be Sreesanth (back-up seamer), Karthik (back-up keeper and bat), Uthappa/Kaif/Raina (back-up bat) and Powar (back-up spinner).

Interestingly, with the exception of Dravid and Dhoni, every guy can bowl. That's why I'm not convinced about playing Pathan as an all-rounder. I think Sehwag on the West Indian pitches will be a better bet as an all-rounder. Tendulkar has been bowling well and Ganguly is a safe option as a seamer.

Trying Tendulkar out in the middle-order seems to have worked really well and considering the way Uthappa has been batting, it looks like it will be either he or Sehwag opening with Ganguly - who is batting as well as he ever has. Hopefully, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Pathan will show a return to form in the next four matches. If not, Raina, Uthappa and Sreesanth will be waiting eagerly to take their slot.

There's nothing like competition to spur a team on. The Aussies have been consistent because of the relentless competition every player faces. It's nice to see the same thing happening in the Indian team.

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