Having qualified for the quarterfinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, India might consider giving some of their players who have been sitting on the bench, cooling their heels, a chance or two in the next two games of Pool B, starting with the one against Ireland in Hamilton on Tuesday.
India faced their toughest test in the World Cup so far against the West Indies, with their bowlers giving the Indian batsmen a real scare in a small chase.
MS Dhoni, though, showed his finishing prowess, to guide India to victory, a victory which ensured their place in the final eight of the CWC.
The defending champions' priority now will be top spot in Pool B, and a win over Ireland on Tuesday or against Zimbabwe in their final match will ensure that.
India would like to seal the number one place in their group as soon as possible, and therefore, it remains to be seen if Dhoni will decide to rest any of his players.
The bowling has been India's great revelation at this World Cup, with fast bowlers Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma hunting in a pack, with quick and accurate bowling.
Even if the World Cup comes with plenty of recovery time in between games, Dhoni will be aware of the bowlers' workload and might consider giving one of the three bowlers a break. Shami already has missed one game – against UAE in Perth – due to a knee strain, and if there is even the slightest chance of that being aggravated, Dhoni should not hesitate to rest his key bowler, especially with Bhuvneshwar Kumar waiting in the wings.
Bhuvneshwar will enjoy the conditions in New Zealand – more conducive to swing bowling – a little more than Australia, and he has a chance of gaining a spot in the playing XI, if Dhoni decides to rest one of Shami, Umesh or Mohit.
The skipper, however, did say he was more than happy to keep playing with his strongest XI, much like New Zealand have done all tournament, and that could mean another game on the bench for the likes of Stuart Binny, Ambati Rayudu and Akshar Patel, along with Bhuvneshwar, who has only played one game so far – the one against the UAE when Shami was not risked.
Binny, like Bhuvneshwar, will also enjoy himself in New Zealand conditions and Dhoni has the option of bringing him in in the place of Ravindra Jadeja, a player the India skipper publicly said needs to improve. Binny, interestingly, had a long workout in the nets on Monday, which could mean a chance for him in the next game.
However, Binny does not come with a surefire "he can bowl the 10 overs" attached with him, while Jadeja does, even if the latter has been pretty disappointing with the bat.
With Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane still needing as much time in the middle as possible ahead of the quarterfinals, Rayudu might also find himself having to wait for his chance, while Akshar is an option if India decide to give Jadeja or R Ashwin a break.
The most likely inclusion, however, looks like being Bhuvneshwar for one of the three fast bowlers.
For Ireland, there are no injury concerns either, which means probably playing the same XI, and having picked up a vital victory over Zimbabwe, the men in green will be desperate to seal their own quarterfinal place with an upset victory over India.
Lineups: India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.
Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Andy Balbirnie, Niall O'Brien, Gary Wilson (wk), Kevin O'Brien, John Mooney, George Dockrell, Stuart Thompson, Alex Cusack, Andy McBrine.
