World Cup 2015: India must adapt to new conditions and stay focussed

PERTH: The confidence of the Indian team is at an all time high as they land in Perth.

The comprehensive manner in which they defeated two very strong teams in Pakistan and South Africa has caught everyone's attention. 

India have sent a strong signal that they are one of the top contenders for the title. But over the next fortnight or so, they will face a challenge of a different kind. Three of their remaining four group matches are against lesser teams but more than the rivals, India will be up against the elements, playing as they would in varying conditions. 

Perth and New Zealand are as different as chalk and cheese. Perth has a reputation of being the fastest and bounciest pitch in the world, while in New Zealand swing is the flavour. However, the Indian team management says it has all the bases covered. 

"The batting line-up is confident of countering the conditions, after posting huge scores in the two matches so far. Our batsmen are apt at adapting to the conditions be it the pace and bounce in Perth or the swing in New Zealand. Moreover, we have bowlers on the bench (Stuart Binny and Bhuvneshwar Kumar) who are good exponents of swing bowling," a team official said. 

"In Perth, we will concentrate on the conditions and job on hand. We will have two practices sessions at the WACA before the match against United Arab Emirates on Saturday. Thereafter we have a long gap and we will utilize the training sessions to brace for the highly unpredictable West Indies team," he said. 

"You have seen how we simulated match conditions during practice sessions both in Adelaide and Melbourne and used small stools to give throw downs to counter tall fast bowlers. We will adopt the same method to counter the West Indies bowlers. We also need to guard against complacency, which can set in at the prospect of facing lesser teams like the UAE," he said. 

But won't the team be at a bit of disadvantage playing in Auckland and Hamilton, where the pitches are not as fast and the grounds much smaller? "The players are experienced and professionals and are expected to adapt to the changes. We do not have many days to prepare in New Zealand. Therefore, we will have to get down to extensive practice sessions immediately," the official added. 

India will have just three days after arriving in Auckland on March 7 to prepare for Ireland and another two days before they face Zimbabwe on March 14. There they will have to be alert not to lose intensity as their rivals have a history of causing upsets. 

India may well be on course to qualify for the quarterfinals. But if they finish among the top two in Group B, they will have a good chance of avoiding the top two teams from Group A. From the results and form one can expect Australia and New Zealand to take those two positions. Therefore, even if India ensure a place in the knockouts post the Perth matches, they will have to ensure there are no slip-ups