India's Bowling Depth Key to World Cup Success, Says Anil Kumble

"Dhoniii makes a stylish exit. A stunning blow to the crowd! After 28 years, India wins the World Cup.

In the 2011 Wankhede Stadium final, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's six off Nuwan Kulasekara has become just as legendary as Ravi Shastri's shrill commentary.

While Yuvraj Singh began dancing in celebration at the other end, Dhoni maintained his position as he watched the ball enter the stands. While Gautam Gambhir's 97 at the top of the order following the early dismissals of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar as well as Zaheer Khan's opening spell merits considerable praise, not many people have heard of it.

The quick bowler started off the attack by bowling three consecutive debut overs, finishing his five-over first period with only six runs in addition to a wicket. Without Zaheer's outstanding performance, Sri Lanka might have easily won the trophy.

The Dhoni team was also plagued by the fear of failure and the weight of expectations, just like Rohit Sharma's team this year. However, Dhoni's leadership kept the team inspired for six weeks. The support team's services, including those of coach Gary Kirsten, mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton, and motivational speaker Mike Horn, were equally significant.

They were defeated by South Africa in the group stage before going on to defeat three consecutive past champions (Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) to win the championship. They put forth a lot of effort at work and in all of their activities, including their games and battles.

When it comes to dedication, Rohit Sharma's team can compete with the 2011 squad, but Dhoni's side had greater depth due to the team's balance and experience. They became champions because there were more bowling alternatives. Three of the top six hitters could also be dangerous with the ball; Virender Sehwag had 96 ODI wickets, Sachin Tendulkar had 96, and Yuvraj had over 100. Dhoni took advantage of it by using seven bowlers in the championship game, including an over from Kohli.

The lack of bowling alternatives led Rahul Dravid and Rohit to think about using Axar Patel as a backup in the provisional team rather than Ravichandran Ashwin or Yuzvendra Chahal. Better judgment only won out later.

Even chief selector Ajit Agarkar made a joking comment about it during the team announcement in Delhi. The former all-rounder said, "Hopefully Rohit and Kohli can roll some arm over in the World Cup."

Rohit was more sensible. The captain was direct: "When we talk about depth in batting, those No. 9 and No. 8 positions become very crucial."

Once the top order is early out, the batters frequently restrain their natural impulses out of fear of losing additional wickets. It has caused the middle order's strike rate to drop, which has impacted their win-loss ratio.

In their starting XI, teams like England, Australia, and South Africa have at least seven bowlers. Although the lack of all-rounders has been felt for some time, there hasn't been a significant change to make up for it.

India won't feel happy with thin bowling if they field four specialist bowlers and one additional batter. The age-old issue surfaces when the middle order retreats into a shell after the top order struggles, revealing the bottom order's lack of batting cushion. Every World Cup, the problem of finding good all-round players rears its ugly head.

Anil Kumble said, "We had four years to produce all-rounders. We gave Dravid and Rohit complete freedom to make their own strategies and figure out the best possible pairings. This, however, contains a catch: either replicate the valor of 2011, or suffer the repercussions. Anything less won't do.