Srikkanth on World cup team

Chairman of the selection committee Krishnamachari Srikkanth on Monday said India has a good chance to win the CricketWorld Cup 2011, calling it 'a balance team'. "Every team needs some players who can win games single-handedly. India have three or four such players," Srikkanth said, adding England and South Africa are the other good teams, who can also emerge winners.

"I believe they (India) have it in them to win the Cup. This is the best combination," the chief selector said, parrying questions about individual players not making it to the World Cup squad in Chennai earlier on Monday and urging fans to be optimistic and positive.

"(We) can't talk about individual players," Srikkanth told Headlines Today, on being asked about the controversial selection of offspinner R. Ashwin and legspinner Piyush Chawla, while leaving out middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma. Chawla was the biggest surprise pick, considering the fact that he hasn't played any one-dayers for India since the Asia Cup in July 2008. In the squad announced in Chennai, most of the other names in the squad were along expected lines. 

"Every option or selection will be debated, but I'm not allowed to divulge the selection process," he said. On being asked why there was no reserve keeper, he cited India's 1983 WC and 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket campaigns, "Look, ifs and buts don't matter much. We don't go into the mechanics of what would have happened if (Syed) Kirmani and Sadanand Viswanath would have got injured."

On a pointed question about Sachin Tendulkar, whose sixth Cup campaign has launched a billion hopes, he said, "He (Sachin) deserves it (the Cup). Who knows it can happen this time."

Srikkanth was all praise for captain M.S. Dhoni, who he said, 'doesn't force situations on his team, rather he lets things happen'.

What others say

While former captain Kapil Dev believes this is a good team, which he would like to support, he wondered how Dhoni was confident he would not get injured. "Though I don't totally agree with him, I support Srikkanth," said Kapil Dev.

Former cricketer Nikhil Chopra said, "There are a lot of guys, like we had in 1983 WC, who can both bat and bowl."

Fans speak

Meanwhile, surfers on www.indiatodayin and headlinestoday.in reactedly angrily at Rohit Sharma having been left out. "Why is Rohit Sharma not in the team instead of Piyush Chawla?" asked Abhilash Kumar.

"The selectors have made a blunder by not selecting Rohit Sharma. He is a class act and can destroy any kind of bowling attack on sub-continental pitches," wrote Jawwad Shamsher.

Kaushik wrote, "The third spinner was not at all required. Instead of that, they should have taken Rohit Sharma as an all-rounder as one-days are won by batmen when it comes to wickets on the sub-continent."