Jupiter in the Ninth augurs well for Indian Cricket

Jupiter was in the Fifth, a favourable house, in Scorpio when India won the 1983 World Cup.

Imran Khan, the former Pak skipper, was on TV yesterday contradicting Petersen’s view that the WC longish schedule is negative.

On the other hand, it is positive, he feels. The greatest threat a team can face is injuries. He cited the example of the Pak defeat in the 1987 final, when their 3 major players were injured.

Now India is also smarting from injuries. Praveen Kumar is flying to England for treatment and Sreeshant may be roped in. Asked about Sreeshanth, Imran said that Sreeshant is not a bad replacement. His oustwingers are excellent.

About the Pak skipper problem, Imran said that Misbah does not have adequate experience. The World Cup will be fiercely competitive, and Misbah simply do not have the experience to handle tough situations, which may arise. Misbah did play well yesterday, scoring 93 no and winning the match for Pakistan.

Imran said India are favourites and Sri Lanka are second favourites. But he warned that Pakistan can be the dark horse. Pak may enter the semis, upsetting the theory that Sri Lanka or SA, Australia, England and India may reach the semis.

Dhoni said he will convert pressure into responsibility.

There is a theory that India in 1983 had nothing to lose, as they were written off as underdogs, and hence they performed well, as they played without pressure. They were not a star studded side, like the present one, and was a team of bits and pieces players. Bits and players players are players capable of taking one or two wickets, and can score 30/40 runs. Not people who score 200 not out !

The present Indian team is star studded, with a lot of watchwinners. Sachin is the top scorer in ODIs with 200 no against SA, we have Yuvraj who created a record in the T20s by hitting six sixes in an over ( overtaking Sobers’ and Shastri’s performances, which was only in county cricket ), an explosive batsman in Sehwag and a blitzkreig batsman in Y Pathan. More experienced is this team than the 1983 squad. The only enemy India will face is pressure. As Trevor Bailey used to say ” It is the situation”. It is pressure which will be the no 1 enemy. Look at Pathan’s last innings. When India were 113/8, the game was almost over. And Yathan played without any pressure. When he scored a hundred with 8 sixes and 8 fours, then pressure crept in. There was a chance for India to win and then when pressure came, he got out, giving the match on a platter to the South Africans !

It is easy for Dhoni to say he will change pressure into responsibility. If Indian players do not perform well, they would have let the 1 billion Indians down. They are playing before a 100,000 crowd, watched avidly by miliions of cricket crazy Indians. There is tremendous pressure on all teams, but more on India. When everybody thinks that India is favourite, pressure becomes enormous. But then, India are on their home ground and home ground advantage can be benign !

India’s strength lies in her spinning allrounders. Yuvraj, Pathan, Sehwag, Sachin, Raina all can bowl and they are fairly well experienced. Another factor in their favour is the position of the heavens. Jupiter in Pisces is in the 3rd in India’s national horoscope. Saturn in the 3rd is a redeemer !

India is currently placed 2nd in ODIs, ICC Rankings. Retaining that spot brings in another pressure situation ! Complacency should be avoided at all costs and anything can happen in one day cricket. Most of the teams are more or less equal. Australia, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka can stage upsets at any time. They have better fast bowlers than India !. ( Allan Border is of the view that Aussies with three genuine fast bowlers will lift the Cup )

It is to be noted that this will be Sachin’s last World Cup. He has created all records except one. He is not like, like Kapil Dev, a member of the WC victors ! What greater gift can be there than consecrating the WC to Sachin Tendulkar ?